‘Shun vote buying and violence’ — Abdulsalami tells politicians ahead of Ondo guber election

Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military head of state, says politicians should avoid vote buying and violence in the November 16 Ondo governorship election.

Abubakar, who is the chairman of the national peace committee (NPC), spoke on Friday in Akure, the capital of Ondo, during the signing of the peace accord by political parties and their governorship candidates.

Seventeen political parties participating in the election signed the peace accord.

He advised all candidates to accept the outcome of the election once it is adjudged free, fair, and credible.

He said any candidate who may be dissatisfied with the outcome of the election should seek legitimate and peaceful means of addressing his concerns rather than resorting to violence.

“I urge all politicians who will sign the accord to fully commit themselves and their parties to the letter and spirit of the accord to shun violence and intimidation and remember that as politicians, you must demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship, as that is a key trait of good leadership,” the NPC chairman said.

“It remains the duty of Nigerian citizens to elect their leaders free from any inducements or prejudice. Political actors must also discontinue this menace of vote trading.”

The former head of state said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should live up to its responsibilities in ensuring that eligible voters exercise their franchise peacefully during the poll.

“I therefore urge them to remain resilient in averting any threats of violence and maintaining the peace in the state as we are only a few days away from the elections,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of all the candidates, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of Ondo and flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noted that the state has been peaceful prior to this time.

The governor promised that he would abide by the terms of the peace accord and urged other candidates to ensure they play the game according to the rules.

“All stakeholders have been abiding by the rules of the game. I plead that they stay with the tenant of democracy. We will all abide by the tenet of the peaceful accord,” he said.

“Elections will come and go, but the state will remain. During the election, we should remain peaceful and also after the election.”