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Ahead of the Saturday governorship election in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged Nigerians to understand that elections is just an ordinary civic responsibility that should be performed peacefully.
The electoral umpire wondered why political parties and their candidates were made to sign a peace accord to maintain peace and prevent violence at the polls.
It further urged political parties to seek legitimate victory at the polls through the ballot and not any other means.
This was stated by Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner in Charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, during a chat with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
“However, in Nigeria the movement of materials from the central bank to the local governments and registration centres was always under heavy security and everything is conducted under a war-like situation,” said Okoye.
“So, I think that we must find ways and means of making elections an ordinary civic responsibility, and not that the whole world would gather, getting the political parties to sign a peace accord that they are going to maintain the peace.
“We must make violence and violent conduct unattractive. People must be made to understand that there must be other ways of earning a living other than through violence.
“The political parties must also commit to the fact that people can only get to power through the votes of the people and through the sovereign power of the people expressed through their votes.”
