2019: Publisher tasks Kogi people to elect peaceful candidates

AS the preparations towards the 2019 general election continued, the people of Kogi state have been charged to elect only men with peaceful disposition as their representatives to the National Assembly.

The Managing Editor/Publisher of the Nigerian Post Newspaper, Mike Abu, who made the plea in Lokoja, the state capital, particularly urged the people of the eastern senatorial district of the state to consider peace while deciding on who to elect into offices.

Speaking during the conferment of the newspaper’s man of the year award for peace and reconciliation on Prince Yahaya Audu Ohidi, he lamented the high rate of political violence in the region.

He noted that the level of violence, politically induced crisis and a high number of political thuggery associated with the politics of the senatorial district demanded that the people should make men who are disposed to peace and peaceful living their representatives.

Abu lamented the situation where the last four years in the national assembly and nation’s politics witnessed a no representation for the senatorial district owing to infighting by political actors from the area.

The publisher, however, commended the peaceful disposition of Audu, whom he noted was singled out for the award due to his efforts at peace-building, reconciling late Abubakar Audu’s biological and political family with the present administration of Governor Yahaya Bello.

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He noted that no meaningful development could take place in an atmosphere of violence, adding that the Nigerian Post Newspaper had yearly devoted the award for peace to individuals who had painstakingly committed themselves to peace in their communities.

Audu in his remarks however said his disposition to peace was predicated on the need for change, and cooperation, pointing out that what obtains at the moment where violence and unstable political environment enveloped the district, was not good enough for the people.

According to him, the people of Igala Bassa nation of Kogi east senatorial district needed a new story, saying only with peace could the people alter the narratives.

Through legislative engagement and a network of national and international peacebuilding platforms, Audu Ohidi assured the people of the district that they would experience positive development.