Citizens for Development and Education (CDE) and Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) have warned political and religious leaders against unguarded statements capable of causing genocide in the country.
Executive Director of CDE, Ibrahim Waiya, and his CEPEJ counterpart, Mulade Sheriff, gave this warning, yesterday, in Abuja, while speaking on the recent general elections and the issues arising from it.
Sheriff, who condemned all advocacies for the establishment of interim government in the country, warned Nigerians not to fall into any sentimental trap to serve the interest of any desperate or greedy politician.
He said: “We condemn all utterances and unguarded statements promoted, directly or through proxy, by any politician or religious leader along ethnic, regional or religious sentiment capable of inciting violence, especially at this critical period of our democratic transition.
“All media organisations should further exercise restraint in the interest of peace and national unity on all broadcasts that may create confusion and or aggravate our fragile security situation by x-raying all content before airing to avoid the Rwanda experience in Nigeria.”
Urging politicians, who are not satisfied with the conduct of any election, to stick to legal process for redress as provided by the nation’s legal system, he called on political actors to desist from threatening, intimidating and discrediting the same system they seek to serve.
The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) further called on the international community to exercise restraint in submitting to the sentiments of some politicians, stressing that the country direly needs the support of its friends at its time of transition, to salvage its democracy in the interest of Africa’s stability and the world at large.
