President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday cautioned his fellow presidential candidates against instigating their supporters for violence.
President Jonathan spoke through Godswill Orubebe, minister for Niger Delta, at a town hall meeting in Abuja where Igbos in the 19 states of the north and the Federal Capital Territory endorsed Jonathan as candidate for the presidential election.
Jonathan, according to Orubebe, frowned at the statements credited to some of the presidential aspirants of opposition parties saying “as presidential candidates, it does not give you the licence to call for violence.”
He, however, noted that the government may be forced to bring the full wrath of the law on erring candidates if the trend continues. The presidential council of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the same vein condemned the loss of lives in Jos on Monday during the campaign rally of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
The party said it believed that the death was avoidable “if the CPC leadership had listened to the advice given by the police,” claiming that the presidential candidate of the CPC, Mohammadu Buhari, disregarded the advice of Abdulrahman Akano, the Plateau State commissioner of police. The party said: “This culture of defiance and disregard to constituted authority has become the hallmark and dominant feature of CPC rallies since Presidential campaigns commenced.
“It was the case in Niger, Oyo, Ebonyi and many other states where General Buhari defiantly campaigned even after compelling security reports were made available to him.
“This persistent disregard for the rule of law and the safety of the electorate has again called to question Buhari’s commitment to peace and security.”
The PDP claimed that CPC “has also been responsible for a series of political conflicts throughout the country with the attendant loss of lives and property. “Buhari should know that nobody is above the law and we call on all Nigerians to be vigilant by rejecting the desperate resort to violence in our politics.”
