A joint body of South-East Council of Traditional Rulers and Igbo Archbishops and Bishops has sued for peace in the governorship polls holding on November 11, especially in Imo State.
The South-East leaders in a statement circulated on Friday, called for free, fair and transparent governorship polls in the areas concerned.
The council’s statement was signed by HM Obi Nnaemeka Achebe(Chairman, Anambra State Traditional Rulers), Most Rev. Dr. Chibuzo R. Opoko(Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia), Igwe Amb L. O. C. Agubuzu,(Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council), and Most Rev. Dr. Valerian M. Okeke (Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha ).
The statement read in part, ”On November 11th, 2023, the electorate in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will go to the polls to excise their civic duties by electing the Governors of their respective states.
“The Joint Body of South East Council of Traditional Rulers and the Representatives of the Igbo Archbishops and Bishops on Peace and Conflict Resolution (The Joint Body) hereby calls on all Nigerians to do their utmost to ensure that the elections take place in a free, fair and transparent atmosphere.
“This would enable the best candidates to emerge to lead in probably the most perilous times for the country in decades.
“The aftermath of the highly contentious General Elections in February and March this year was characterised by a deluge of disputed results that in turn precipitated a plethora of court cases which have left the nation mired in a deepening distrust for public institutions.
“From the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Judiciary, the last hope of the common citizen, our nation’s socio-political fabric has been stretched to the point of sundering.
“On the economic front, the challenges have been unrelenting as the harshness of an inclement economy has savaged most of our people, yet inexplicably leaving the privileged and financially secure unaffected, and aloof and indifferent to the implications for their fellow citizens.
“Indeed, it is the beneficiaries of the flawed 2023 General Elections that are themselves at odds with the masses who voted them into office. Divorced and disconnected from the accountability of servant leadership, Nigeria’s political class has adorned the amour of gladiators in pursuit of power by all means.
“The reality of a politically aware and yet disenfranchised younger generation questioning the usurpation of their civic rights and responsibilities to vote and be voted for in the electoral process; the power and influence of pervasive, decentralized social media on youth who represent that largest voter demographic in the history of Nigeria’s democracy; and the emergence of alternatives to the hitherto dominant political parties that have held power at the national level, have raised the stakes and fragmented the electorate.”
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