Ahead of scheduled Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has sued for peace while charging state institutions involved in managing the process to create a level-playing field to ensure free and fair polling.
Dr. Jonathan made this known in a statement on Thursday in which he urged political actors and stakeholders to work towards deepening the nation’s democracy by prioritising the peace and security of Edo state.
In the statement released by Ikechukwu Eze, his media adviser, Dr. Jonathan emphasised that the Edo election “places a moral burden on state agencies especially the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rise to their constitutional responsibilities as independent arbiters in our democratic process.”
For democracy to endure, the former President noted that “elections must be devoid of all forms of manipulation and state institutions have the obligation to guarantee peaceful, credible and transparent elections.”
Jonathan further charged the election management body to live up to expectations as an unbiased umpire and inspire confidence in all actors through a transparent voting process. He said: “There is no doubt that loss of confidence in an election encourages political disputes, social unrests, voter apathy, increased polarisation and other far-reaching consequences that could undermine development and democratic consolidation.”
Below is the full text of the statement:
“As citizens of voting age in Edo State go to the polls for the governorship election on Saturday, September 21, 2024, I call on all political actors and stakeholders to work towards deepening the nation’s democracy by prioritizing peace and security of the state.
“Politicians must pursue their interests within the confines of the law and refrain from activities that could undermine the peace and stability of the state. It is encouraging that civil rule has endured in the Fourth Republic for 25 years but we should remind our people that democracy loses its value when citizens cannot exercise their political choices in a free and fair atmosphere.
“In the interest of peace and the integrity of our electoral process, I urge the electoral management body and security agencies to be professional and neutral in discharging their responsibilities. The Edo election scheduled for this weekend places a moral burden on state agencies especially the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rise to their constitutional responsibilities as independent arbiters in our democratic process.
“Security agencies must conduct themselves in optimal neutrality and desist from actions that could alter the setting for a level-playing field and compromise the credibility of the electoral process. On its part, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must live up to expectations as an unbiased umpire and inspire confidence in all actors through a transparent voting process. There is no doubt that loss of confidence in an election encourages political disputes, social unrests, voter apathy, increased polarisation and other far-reaching consequences that could undermine development and democratic consolidation.
“For democracy to endure, our leadership recruitment process must be devoid of all forms of manipulation and state institutions have the obligation to guarantee peaceful, credible and transparent elections. That way, citizens will be able to elect leaders of their choice who they will entrust with the legitimacy to deliver good governance, peace and prosperity.”
