The Gombe State Police Command has urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to shun political thuggery, intimidation, violence and hate speech ahead of the 19 September by-election and the 2027 general elections.
The Commissioner of Police in Gombe State, CP Umar Ahmed Chuso, made the call during a joint security meeting and peace accord ceremony involving political parties and other electoral stakeholders in the state.
Chuso said the peace accord provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful, credible and violence-free elections in Gombe State.
He expressed particular concern over the growing use of social media for what he described as “digital thuggery”, including the spread of fake news, inflammatory content, manipulated videos and other information capable of inciting violence.
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The commissioner urged political actors and their supporters to exercise restraint and responsibility in their use of social media, stressing the importance of verifying information before sharing it.
He also called on political parties and candidates to sensitise and monitor their supporters, particularly young people, to prevent them from being recruited or used to perpetrate violence.
Chuso cautioned that no political ambition was worth the life, freedom or future of any Nigerian.
The commissioner assured residents that security agencies in the state would remain professional, impartial and firm in enforcing the law against anyone who attempted to undermine public peace.
He advised political actors to resolve disputes through appropriate legal and constitutional channels rather than resorting to violence or self-help.
Chuso further urged all stakeholders to regard the peace of Gombe State as a collective responsibility, stressing that political actors should compete without violence, disagree without hatred and use technology to inform rather than inflame.
Responding, the Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State, Adamu Haruna Abubakar, who represented the party’s state chairman at the occasion, commended the police command for organising the peace accord.
Abubakar said the signing of the accord would help ensure that campaigns and the forthcoming by-election were conducted peacefully and without tension.
The PDP representative, however, noted that while nobody desired violence, perceived injustice and a failure to treat people fairly could sometimes create circumstances that lead to unrest.
He therefore appealed to the relevant authorities to ensure fairness and justice for all political parties and stakeholders.
For his part, the representative of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Murtala Usman Wuro Tale, said the APC and other political parties in the state were committed to peace.
He stressed that the APC, as the ruling party in Gombe State, was also committed to sustaining the peace enjoyed by residents, pledging to conduct its political activities peacefully and in accordance with the law.
At the end of the ceremony, representatives of political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), APC, Social Democratic Party (SDP), PDP and Labour Party, signed the peace accord.
They pledged to conduct their campaigns and other political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections peacefully and in accordance with the law.
