By Ikechukwu Nnochiri,ABUJA
With barely four months to the scheduled governorship election in Bayelsa state, concerned elders in the state, on Wednesday, sued for peace, even as they enjoined the political actors not to engage in any form of campaign of calumny.
The group, under the aegis of Network of Bayelsa Professionals, NBP, in a statement it made available to newsmen in Abuja, urged all the candidates for the gubernatorial contest billed for November 11, to avoid reckless and unguarded utterances that could undermine the prevailing peace in the state.
NBP, in the statement that was signed by its Co-ordinator, Mr. Agbada S. Agbada, said the admonition was part of its effort to discourage politicians, particularly the gubernatorial candidates from the path of rancour and bitterness in their campaigns.
It noted that while individuals reserve the right to aspire for any elective office, such aspirations must be pursued with decency and moderation so as to preserve the relative peace the state had enjoyed over the years.
The group further commended Governor Douye Diri “for demonstrating exemplary leadership by his consistent accommodation of dissent opinions, criticisms and tolerance for the opposition parties in the state.”
According to NBP, governor Diri’s political maturity, significantly reduced political tension in the state.
It, therefore, implored other political actors in the state to emulate the governor in the conduct of their political activities ahead of the forthcoming election.
“As we draw closer to the November 2023 gubernatorial elections in the State, it has become imperative for us to sound a note of caution to politicians to avoid unguarded utterances and conduct that will heat up the polity and jeopardise the relative peace the State has enjoyed for the past few years.
“As Bayelsans who are seeking to lead the State, we expect that the collective interest of Bayelsans will be the overriding consideration. Therefore, all political actors have a duty to preserve the relative peace the present administration has laboured to achieve.
“Recent utterances of some aspirants reflect a fixation on the abhorrent politics of mudslinging and desperation. We note that such utterances could easily heat up the polity and threaten the relative peace in the State.
“In this respect, we commended Governor Douye Diri for demonstrating exemplary leadership by his consistent accommodation of dissent, criticism, tolerance for the opposition in the State and commitment to peace.
“This disposition of maturity and commitment to peace by the Governor is a sharp departure from the norm where some past governors deployed state resources and powers, and non-state actors to harass, maim and silence critics and opposition politicians.
“The significant decrease in political tension in the State is largely attributable to the exemplary conduct of Diri and we urge other political actors to emulate the Governor in the conduct of their political activities ahead of the elections.
“We also appeal to media organizations not to allow their platforms to be used by politicians to promote hate, campaign of calumny and other inciting and provocative remarks.
“Bayelsa is our only home and we have a collective responsibility to protect it from politicians who place their ambitions above the interest of the State,”
