A South-West socio-political group, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLP), yesterday, urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to caution all media aides or spokesmen of major political parties and that of president-elect, as well as presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and others, against making inciting statements capable of igniting the country.
The Forum, in a statement by its President, Akin Malaolu, also urged spokesmen of the parties and stakeholders to allow the election petition tribunals do their job “and not necessarily pre-empting the judges or their judgment.”
The statement reads: “We are sad, not for ourselves but for the larger populations of our people and the entire West Africa community (ECOWAS) over the promise publicly made by a media aide to one of the presidential candidates.
“His statement to make Nigeria ungovernable if realised shall not only consume Nigeria, but shall wipe off the existence of our neighbours namely Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Ivory Coast from the map. Such rascally thought should be investigated and dealt with regardless of who becomes president of the country.”
The forum added that the presidential election tribunal has stated its sacred duties to the nation and it is important to warn political speculators to think deeply before igniting what may consume us all.
“The tribunal is investigative in character and purpose and not a trial as normally noticed in our regular courts. Whatever its findings are, the world will know.
“As it is today and before the swearing date of May 29th, legal teams to all the parties and their candidates must show maturity by dismissing hasty observations and conclusions. The Eyin Igbeti swearing in ceremony of the past must never be revisited in any form or fashion. This is not the time for any political rascality and we are confident that Nigerians today are not the same as the Nigerians in 1993.
“At this stage, we beseech the general population of our people to keep faith in the rule of law at all times,” the forum said.
