2023 Polls: Enugu Traditional Ruler Urges Politicians To Shun Violence

The chairman, Awgu Traditional Rulers Council and traditional ruler of Mmaku Ancient Kingdom in Awgu LGA of Enugu State, HRH Igwe Maduabuchi Nevobasi, Friday, urged politicians not to ‘add fuel to fire’ in the aftermath of the grievances trailing the 2023 general elections.

THE WHISTLER reports that many political parties and interest groups have expressed dissatisfaction with the posture of the Independent National Electoral Commission pertaining to the electronic transmission of election results. Osmond Onuh, a political scientist, had described the 2023 elections as the worst in Nigeria, adding that, ‘INEC has succeeded in creating subsequent voter apathy among Nigerian electorate’ by its failure to adhere to its earlier canvassed use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in the conduct of the Feb 25 presidential election, which APC’s Bola Tinubu was declared winner.

Igwe Nevobasi, who spoke with our correspondent in Enugu, said politicians had got the obligation of urging their supporters to embrace peace while they seek legal means of redressing their perceived dissatisfaction.

In his words, “The burden lies with the politicians. If they tell their supporters to protest, they will be putting fuel on fire. They are political leaders. They should tell their supporters to calm down because there are processes. We have tribunals.

“Losers should not advise their supporters to go into violence. I am happy hearing some of the losers tell their supporters to calm down as they explore the legal options. Even in America, elections are not perfect. Former President Donald Trump complained of malpractices but I did not see violence. Even Britain that colonised us does have such experiences.

“The court is there to direct the process. I have trust in our judiciary. If they see anything wrong, they will do the proper thing. They had overturned many elections in the past. Should the same re-occur, they will do the needful again.”

He further advised politicians to eschew campaign of calumny and embrace issue-based debates.

According to him, “Politicians should avoid maligning others. They should base their campaign on issues and not on persons. Electorate should vote candidates who sell the best manifestoes to them. Politicians should avoid igniting fire. If you burn your house, where would you live? Enugu is peaceful, and we should not turn it into something else.”