Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on all political actors and stakeholders to work towards deepening the nation’s democracy by prioritising peace and security in the Edo governorship election on Saturday.
Jonathan in a statement by his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze in Abuja, urged politicians to 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,” he said.
Jonathan also charged state institutions involved in managing the process of the election to maintain neutrality, to create a level-playing field and ensure free and fair election.
He said that the Edo election placed 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 Nigeria 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 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,” he said