As Nigerians gear up to the 2015 general election, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has cautioned the politicians to play the game by the rules saying that they should pursue their dreams with the fear of God and the interest of the hapless Nigerian masses at heart.
The National Chairman of the party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam who made this known in his Christmas message to Christians titled,” 2014 Christmas: The Night Before A New Dawn”, stated that in this era of campaigns, politicians should go about it in a manner devoid of violence, mudslinging and character assassination as well as engage in issue based campaigns that would marshal out their plans for the people.
Aniebonam further advised the politicians to desist from turning the youths of this country into thugs so as to use them to unleash terror on their political opponents as well as on innocent Nigerians.
“For the Nigerian youth, they should deploy their energies towards positive ventures. No youth should allow himself or herself to be used for violence by some politicians to achieve their selfish and devilish desires. Have you ever asked yourself “why would a politician send his or her children to school abroad, securing their future while using you as political thugs?” In the same vein, NNPP is calling on parents and guardians to train and monitor their children and wards with a view to putting them on the right path”.
“And for those who have made up their minds to forment trouble during the electioneering processes, we call on the law enforcement agents to be firm, decisive and alive to their responsibilities without fear or favour. They should be fair to all irrespective of political leaning. It is only through that, that you can win the respect and support of Nigerians and as such enhance your capacity to discharge your responsibilities”, he said.
The NNPP boss while expressing the party’s worry over the signs on the horizon where threats of fire and brimstone from different quarters had become the order of the day, however expressed his conviction that those ominous signs would be blown away like the wind adding that it was in the hands of Nigerians to ward off what he called the bad omen.
According to him,” NNPP believes much of the effort must come from the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC needs to double up for the challenges ahead. It must resolve to deliver to Nigerians fair, free and credible elections. The Commission needs to convince Nigerians that it is ever ready for the challenges ahead. The below average display by INEC in the ongoing distribution Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) must have opened the eyes of the Commission to the fact that a lot still needs to be done”.
“As a political party, we are not oblivious of the challenges of organizing elections in a large and wide country like Nigeria. We believe it is not too late for INEC to venture into studying how India was able to organize free, fair and credible elections in which about eight hundred million voters took part, with the movement of logistics near perfect and results announced without hitches. We can do it in Nigeria”.
While wishing all Christians in Nigeria a Merry Christmas, Aniebonam reminded Nigerians that it only required the “We-can-do” spirit like the one employed during the Ebola Virus Disease crises in the country to get the forthcoming elections right in 2015.
