As the Governorship and State House of Assembly campaigns commence today, the Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI) has called on every state and political actor in the State to desist from action(s) which would negate efforts by stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to ensure the season is devoid of negative reports which characterized past electoral cycles in Rivers state.
It also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and security agencies to caution Rivers state government against denying opposition political parties level playing field for their campaigns in order to avoid the election campaigns degenerate into warfare.
The group gave the advice in a statement issued on Wednesday and jointly signed by Obinna Ebogidi, RPI convener and Leah Anwuri, Secretary, respectively.
The statement read, “As the window for Governorship and State House of Assembly campaigns commences, the Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI) calls on every state and political actor in Rivers State to desist from action(s) which will negate efforts by stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to ensure the season is devoid of negative reports which characterized past electoral cycles in the state.
“We recall that on Friday September, 23, six frontline Governorship Candidates did sign an agreement and pledged to ensure they and their supporters refrain from acts capable of heating up the polity.
“It behoves on the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and indeed well meaning Nigerians to appeal to the conscience of the Rivers State Government to desist from actions that appear to deny opposition political parties a level playing ground and threaten the peaceful environment needed for credible polls to thrive.
“We call on Rivers people to look beyond the rhetorics and antics of political actors and ensure they erect an objective marker to critically probe the campaign promises of all those seeking elective offices so we are not tossed around by the vacuous talks coming our way this season.
“Such measure should guide us to interrogate which aspect of these people’s antecedents rightfully suggests their current promises can be taken seriously.
“A logical means of assessing them should be through their commitment to policies that improve the quality of life, and it should be the issue around which other issues are based.
“They should be interrogated, not with the now frivolous habit of supposed “fact-checking” by people searching for truth to merely weaponise to win low-stakes debates on social media, but because what is at stake is our collective life.
“Those whose words should be entertained should be those who demonstrate the commitment to improving it.
“Life, and all that makes it worth living, is the only issue on which campaigns should be based.
“Again we call on all actors to guide their utterances, contribute to the peace building process and help rewrite our elections narrative”.
