Bayelsa Off-season Guber Election: Group Cautions Against Politics of Bitterness
Salihu Ali, Abuja.
Ahead of the November 11 off-season Governorship Election in Bayelsa State, southern Nigeria, political actors in the State have been cautioned against reckless and unguarded utterances, capable of undermining the prevailing peace in the State.
A concerned group, Network of Bayelsa Professionals (NBP), made the appeal in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
The statement, which was signed by the co-ordinator, Mr. Agbada Agbada, said the admonition was part of its efforts to discourage politicians, particularly the gubernatorial candidates from the path of rancour and bitterness in their campaigns.
The Bayelsa professionals noted that while individuals reserve the right to aspire to any elective office, such aspirations must be pursued with decency and moderation to preserve the relative peace the State has experienced in the past few years.
The group commended Governor Douye Diri for demonstrating exemplary leadership by his consistent accommodation of dissent, criticisms, tolerance for the opposition in the State and commitment to peace.
According to the group, Diri’s disposition of political maturity is a sharp departure from the norm and has significantly reduced political tension in the State, urging other political actors to emulate the governor in the conduct of their political activities ahead of the elections.
“While we acknowledge the constitutional rights of qualified Bayelsans to freely aspire to lead the State and encourage active participation by Bayelsans in the electoral process, we advise political actors to avoid politics of bitterness and rancour and take the path of brotherhood, decency, mutual respect and peace in their political campaigns.
“The significant decrease in political tension in the State is largely attributable to the exemplary conduct of Diri, and we urge other political actors to emulate the governor in the conduct of their political activities ahead of the elections.
“We also appeal to media organizations not to allow their platforms to be used by politicians to promote hate, campaign of calumny and other inciting and provocative remarks.
“Bayelsa is our only home and we have a collective responsibility to protect it from politicians, who place their ambitions above the interest of the State,” Mr. Agbada appealed.
