By Jubril Bada
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Political parties in Ondo State have said that concerted efforts are being made to complement the effort of the Federal Government in ensuring that the 2019 general elections are hitch-free and ensure that their members do not take laws into their hands.
The political parties disclosed this to The Hope in separate telephone interviews yesterday, saying that efforts are ongoing in sensitizing their members on the need to maintain peace before, during and after the elections.
The State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Alex Kalejaye, said the party in its own effort has been sensitizing and appealing to its members and supporters not to engage in illegal acts as raised by nation’s security chiefs in a meeting held with President Muhammadu Buhari that some disgruntled elements are stockpiling arms to sabotage the forthcoming electoral process.
While advising the opposition parties to as well sensitise their members not to cause violence, Kalejaye explained that the APC in the state will not encourage its members and supporters to raise arms to cause violence before, during and after the elections.
“We advise political leaders to talk to their followers and on our side, we encourage our members not to involve in any act that will jeopardise democratic system in the country.” he said
The APC in the state, he said is occupied with and focused on how to reach to people on the need to support and vote for the party on the election days.
The spokesperson said “If we don’t have elections free from violence next year, we cannot boast of achievement unlike in the past when violence was the order of the day couple with the do-or -die approach to election among politicians to ensure they emerge victorious.
“We have been preaching against that and we should not go back to the olden days.
“We are in the era of electorate mode of voting compared with the olden days when some groups of people gathered in the bush and produce estimated votes.
“The APC is a party selling its programme to the public, why it should be the party to be supported during an election.”
On his part, the Southwest Zone,Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Ayo Fadaka, advised the security chiefs to take their responsibilities seriously and not allow any disgruntled elements stockpiling arms to disrupt peaceful conduct of the next year elections.
He charged the security chiefs to speak to security agencies in the right attitude.
Fadaka called on the security chiefs in the country to rise to the need in preventing Nigerians from attack on their father land by insurgents.
He noted that the security of lives and properties is needed to be beefed up particularly in the North East and central and called on security chiefs to put on their thinking caps to arrest insecurity development in the country.
“For PDP in the South Eest I’m speaking for we are not stockpiling arms for any reason” he said
Also, the State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Korede Duyile, condemned the act of stockpiling arms by criminals, saying this is not only meant for elections alone as armed robbers can engage in such act.
“The act of stockpiling arms is criminal and condemnable and should be curtailed.
Duyile tasked the security chiefs to rise to the occasion to find out who behind importation of illegal arms into the country as well double their efforts to discover where arms are being kept.
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