Youths from both Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria have come together to promote and support the non-violent election campaign ahead of the February General Eelections in the Country.
The youths comprising of Northern Ethnic Youth Groups Assembly and the Ijaw Youth Council, gathered in Keffi, Nasarawa State, to raise awareness among Nigerians about the need to shun violence before, during and after the elections.
The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Udengs Eradiri and Convener of the Northern Ethnic Youth Groups Assembly, Usman Okai, both agreed on the need to avoid inflammatory comments following threat by some Niger Delta Leaders on the election outcome.
Other Youth Groups present at the peace meeting include the Ohaneze Youth Wing, Miyetti Allah, Eggon Youth Movement, Idoma and Hausa Elite Clubs, to endorse a common front of a peaceful post election era for Nigeria.
The presidential candidates of all the political parties in Nigeria had earlier in the year signed an accord to prevent electoral violence before, during and after the February 14 elections.
The signing ceremony took place in Abuja during a sensitisation workshop on non-violence elections.
It had in attendance President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Professor Oluremi Sonaiya of the KOWA Party amongst others.
The accord also stipulates that the institutions engaged in the conduct of the February elections must be seen to be impartial throughout the conduct of the elections.
In his speech at the opening of the workshop, President Jonathan identified what he called ‘threats and provocative statements’ by the leaders of political parties, as some of the reasons the followers take to violence during and after elections and warned that Nigerians,expecially the youth, should shun politics of bitterness.
