President Goodluck Jonathan has warned those nursing plans to cause violence during today’s presidential poll and the April 11 governorship elections to have a rethink, saying the country’s security forces are fully prepared to deal decisively with culprits.
According to him, while democracy gives room for dissent, encourages differences and disagreements, elections “must never be mistaken for war or an opportunity to set fellow citizens against each other, or tear the country apart”.
Speaking in a nationwide broadcast aired live on television and radio stations, Jonathan noted that he was under oath to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians in the country and as such would not tolerate any form of violence.
Reiterating his popular stance that no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian, he said Nigeria, under his watch, will never give up its democracy for any other form of government, and urged Nigerians to go out and vote those they want to lead them in tomorrow’s elections as well as the April 11 election.
He said, “Let me warn, however, that as president and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, I am under oath to protect the lives of all Nigerians and the security of our country at all times. I will never abdicate my responsibilities in that regard.
Elections“Those who may harbour any intentions of testing our will by unleashing violence during the elections in order to advance their political ambitions should think again as all necessary measures have been put in place to ensure that any persons who breach the peace or cause public disorder during or after the elections are speedily apprehended and summarily dealt with according to our laws.
“The nation’s security agencies are also fully prepared and ready to deal decisively with any group or persons who attempt to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the elections or cause any form of public disorder.
“I will like to restate my belief that no political ambition can justify violence or the shedding of the blood of our people.”
Reaffirming his readiness “to ensure fair play during the elections and to deploy the resources and institutions of state only in the manner prescribed by our laws”, he said today’s election is another important milestone as the country continues to march towards the fulfilment of its God-given potential for greatness.
The president continued: “The election offers us another opportunity to empower leaders of our choice once again, and to show the world that genuine democracy is alive and well in our beloved nation.
“Our dear country, Nigeria is the largest democracy amongst black nations of the world. We are a nation of great accomplishments, with a proud history of evolving affinities. Let us go out tomorrow to vote peacefully and set a fitting example of political maturity for other emerging democracies to follow.”
He added that all Nigerians have worked hard “to nurture and strengthen their democratic institutions and promote the good governance practices which were designed to deliver for the wellbeing of our people”.
Noting that all Nigerians cherish the democracy they now have and will never willingly give it up for any other form of governance, Jonathan urged the electorate “to troop out en masse to peacefully perform your civic duty of voting for leaders of your choice tomorrow”.
“As we do so, let us all-political party leaders, contestants, party members, party agents, supporters and ordinary voters alike-be very conscious of the fact that the eyes of the entire world are on us. We must therefore comport ourselves in a manner that will further strengthen our democracy and consolidate our place in the comity of truly democratic nations,” he stated.
He said on assumption of office, he made a commitment to progressively deliver freer, fairer and more credible elections in the country, which he has fulfilled.
He said, “In keeping with that commitment, the federal government has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) all necessary support to ensure that it conducts very successful elections tomorrow and on April 11.
“We have all been assured that INEC is fully ready for the elections. I believe that we can all trust that they are certainly more ready now than they may have been before security issues and other concerns necessitated a re-scheduling of the dates for the 2015 general elections.
“As an administration, we welcome the fact that millions of Nigerians who were yet to receive their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) as at February 14, and would therefore have been unfairly disenfranchised if the polls had gone ahead on that date, have seized the opportunity of the re-scheduling to collect their cards and can now exercise their right to vote tomorrow.”
He expressed delight the Armed Forces have successfully stopped the capturing of Nigerian territories in the northeast by the Boko Haram sect.
His words: “They (the military) have recaptured most of the communities and territories formerly occupied by the insurgents, making it possible for thousands of internally-displaced Nigerians to begin returning to their homes and communities.
“I heartily commend the very courageous men and women of our Armed Forces for the immense sacrifices which they continue to make in defending the nation and protecting its citizens.”
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