A group, South East Human Rights Situation Room (SHRSR), has urged candidates in Anambra governorship election to congratulate whoever emerges winner to avoid further tension in the state.
The Convener of the group, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, made the call in a statement issued in Enugu and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
According to her, the security situation in Anambra is already tensed and politicians should not exacerbate it further through action or utterances that could ignite mayhem.
“We, therefore, enjoin the contestants to be prepared to congratulate whoever emerges winner, while the winner reciprocates the gesture by being magnanimous in victory.
“As people who have vested interests in the peace, political progress and social development of Anambra State, we want contestants to trust the process that produced the winner,” she said.
Ezeilo noted that in any election, there must be winners and those that failed would wait for next time to try again.
She, however, congratulated Anambra people for brazing the initial security challenges that precluded the election for coming out to exercise their franchise.
“This goes to show that Anambra remains one of the trailblazing states in the country.
“We are particularly gladdened by the maturity exhibited by citizens of the state, both young and old, for rejecting vote buying and opting for good governance.
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According to her, the interim report released by election observers and media, the election has been adjudged to be peaceful except, some minor skirmishes reported.
The don commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their doggedness before and during the election till the announcement of interim results of 17 LGA so far released.
She added that in spite of the failure of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) in many area, the election was smooth and peaceful.
“We want to appeal to INEC and other stakeholders to maintain the same spirit of fair play to ensure hitch-free conclusions of the process and the emergence of a popular candidate as the governor.
“The same energy should be maintained during the conduct of the postpones Ihiala Local Government Area, so, as to ensure that the will of Ndi Anambra who earnestly seeks quality leadership were not subverted, Ezeilo appealed.
NAN reports that South East Human Rights Situation Room is a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in South East Nigeria whose objective is to protect and promote the rights of residents of the zone through advocacy, dialogue and sensitization. (NAN)
