Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo warned Nigerian politicians against electoral violence and advised voters not to be enticed into committing electoral misconduct before, during and after the February election.
The former President was speaking at a meeting with the association of Igbo Communities of Lagos and Ogun States, led by Ohaneze Ndigbo Ogun State representative Ogbueti Nkeze, at his Presidential hilltop residence in Abeokuta.
Obasanjo also advised the electorate to be armed with their Permanent Voter Cards, saying one cannot get good leadership without participating.
He said: “If we say we want good governance, it is something that we are going to use to get that good governance, and that is our votes.
“Therefore, I beg you to go and get your PVC. It is your passport to good governance. If you cannot vote, you cannot get good governance, you cannot have a say in those in government. My own is in my wallet and it is only if you want to steal my money that you can get to see my PVC,” he said.
Obasanjo also wondered why aspirants would have recourse to violence after the poll.
“I cannot understand why we must engage in violence. Don’t let anybody lure you or use you for electoral violence. Elections should be free, fair and transparent. If you don’t win, take it in good stride, believing that next time you will win. But if you go into violence, you may not even be alive to contest for another election, which you are now going to win. So, my people tell our people not to engage in electoral violence”.
According to the President of the Association, Nkeze, the meeting was intended to consult with the ex-President and seek his political leadership.
The traditional head of the Igbo, Willy Ejimkonye, prayed for the Obasanjo family before conferring the title of Enyi Nndigbo, which literarily means Friend of the Igbos in Ogun State.
As reported last week, with less than a month left before the presidential elections in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties signed a pact to avoid actions that could endorse violence during and after the polls.
It should be noted that Obasanjo has recently met with two key presidential aspirants for the forthcoming February polls, incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
The former President was speaking at a meeting with the association of Igbo Communities of Lagos and Ogun States, led by Ohaneze Ndigbo Ogun State representative Ogbueti Nkeze, at his Presidential hilltop residence in Abeokuta.
Obasanjo also advised the electorate to be armed with their Permanent Voter Cards, saying one cannot get good leadership without participating.
He said: “If we say we want good governance, it is something that we are going to use to get that good governance, and that is our votes.
“Therefore, I beg you to go and get your PVC. It is your passport to good governance. If you cannot vote, you cannot get good governance, you cannot have a say in those in government. My own is in my wallet and it is only if you want to steal my money that you can get to see my PVC,” he said.
Obasanjo also wondered why aspirants would have recourse to violence after the poll.
“I cannot understand why we must engage in violence. Don’t let anybody lure you or use you for electoral violence. Elections should be free, fair and transparent. If you don’t win, take it in good stride, believing that next time you will win. But if you go into violence, you may not even be alive to contest for another election, which you are now going to win. So, my people tell our people not to engage in electoral violence”.
According to the President of the Association, Nkeze, the meeting was intended to consult with the ex-President and seek his political leadership.
The traditional head of the Igbo, Willy Ejimkonye, prayed for the Obasanjo family before conferring the title of Enyi Nndigbo, which literarily means Friend of the Igbos in Ogun State.
As reported last week, with less than a month left before the presidential elections in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties signed a pact to avoid actions that could endorse violence during and after the polls.
It should be noted that Obasanjo has recently met with two key presidential aspirants for the forthcoming February polls, incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
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