A group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), on Sunday, warned politicians to stay away from overheating the polity.
The group in a statement by entitled “Hate speech and violence will be our death,” ACF Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu, cautioned politicians against making utterances and statements that could endanger the lives of the citizenry, adding that lawlessness, if left unchecked, may result to serious conflict, with attendance resulting into violence which may not be in the interest of the general public.
The statement further added that besides insecurity, hardship and several challenges people are passing through now, there are some desperate politicians who are eager to add more pains because of self ambition, just as it warned those concerned to toe the part of righteousness, refrain from all manner of evil thought
“Shamefully, most are driven by blind ambition or plain hatred. No one can fail to notice the alarming rise of tension and lawlessness as the election campaigns and contests gather pace. There are reports that some politicians are engaging thugs and violent individuals to attack their opponents, spreading terror and fear everywhere,” the statement said.
It further added that the most painful aspect of self ambitious politicians nowadays, is using hate speech to attack their political opponents and warned, that should be outrightly discarded.
The statement, while calling on leaders at all levels to desist from using provocative statements, noted that the apology offered by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State was a relief, adding that the governor’s hostile comments on Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP, dominated discussion in the country for much of last week.
The forum, which said the Electoral Act as amended, and for good reasons, prescribed heavy punishment for infractions, said the fact that hate speeches and acts of violence and aggression are rife in this campaign season can only mean that the laws are not being enforced.
