Yero, El-Rufai pledge peaceful conduct of elections in Kaduna

HOPE for a peaceful general elections was further boosted Wednesday as Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State and his closest rival for the post, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nasir El-Rufai, have pledged to ensure a violence-free election in the state.

   At a peace meeting in Kaduna, apart from the duo, key members of the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP), APC and other political parties who have candidates contesting for elective positions, also absorbed themselves from campaign of mayhem which was visible in the state in recent times.

   Besides, the organizer of the peace meeting, tagged “Kaduna State Peace Accord,” Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, comprising Niger, Kaduna and Abuja, Patrick Dokumor, vowed to bring to book anyone caught fomenting trouble before, during or after the general elections, no matter how highly placed.

   According to Dokumor, “campaigns in recent times have been characterized with violence. Election should be seen as a game where no one uses weapon or unleashes terror on another.

   “This country is greater than any individual or group, therefore no group of people will be allowed to set it ablaze. We will not spare anybody, whoever it may be.”

   Addressing the participants, Yero, who said the peace pact was in the interest of the people, appealed to other parties’ candidates and supporters to warn their members against the destruction of his posters, as election is not a do-or-die affair.

   “I will like to register here that APC has concluded its campaign but we still have four local councils to cover in our statewide campaign,” he said. “We are aware of the tactics they have been using against us. But we should respect what we have come to do here. 

   “We will replace our posters and do not expect anybody to remove them. Anybody who knows how I became governor will know that it is only God that gives power to whom He wishes. If Mukhtar is not elected, I will support whoever emerges.” 

   Speaking to journalists shortly after signing the peace document, El-Rufai described the initiative as a welcome development while pledging to play his own role in ensuring peaceful conduct of campaigns and elections.