March 14, (THEWILL) – Barely few hours to the House of Assembly elections to be held nationwide this weekend, the Chiefs and People of Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, have again, been enjoined to create a level-playing ground for all political parties and their candidates to ensure peaceful elections in the area.
The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave the advice at a meeting with the Nembe City Council of Chiefs at the Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday.
A statement by the Deputy Governor’s media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, explained that the meeting, which had almost all the service commanders in attendance, followed a similar one held with the Leadership of Opu-Nembe on Monday.
The statement quoted Senator Ewhrudjakpo as challenging the people of ancient Nembe Kingdom to proudly defend their place in history as part of the earliest people that first embraced education and civilisation in sub-Saharan Africa.
“One sure way of doing this”, according to the deputy Governor, is by promoting peace, law and order, as well as pursuing their interests in an intellectual manner.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, however, commended the Nembe City Council of Chiefs for the unprecedented peace witnessed in Nembe-Ogbolomabiri, during the Presidential and National Assembly elections last month.
While pointing out that this weekend’s House of Assembly elections were more localised than the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly polls, he charged them to intensify efforts at creating an enabling environment for everyone to exercise their franchise.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo equally urged them to give maximum cooperation to the security agencies and the electoral umpire to deliver credible elections, as well as engender sustainable peace and development in their area.
The Deputy Governor, who described the Nembe people as one of the most civilised kingdoms in the Niger Delta region as a whole, expressed the confidence that they would replicate and sustain the peaceful disposition seen in the previous election.
His words: “We need to thank you for the peace that was maintained during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections. I think it is quite unprecedented.
“We believe people now come out to vote and we have to commend you for this, and for ensuring that everyone freely exercised their franchise.
“The House of Assembly elections are more localised, as there is no unification of interest. We expect this and it is natural. We solicit your cooperation in this area for a very peaceful outcome like we had on February 25.
“The Nembe people are among the most civilised in this part of the world, particularly in the Niger Delta region. And so, we expect that much of what you do will not be as primitive as what some other people do as people who are just coming to the light.”
In his remarks, the Alternate Chairman of the Nembe City Council of Chiefs, Chief Bright Ereware-Igbeta, pointed out that the recent peaceful election was achieved through the signing and adherence to a Peace Accord by all candidates of the various political parties in the area.
Chief Ereware-Igbeta, however, expressed concerns over recurring unwarranted deliberate provocations and threats to peaceful coexistence in the area, allegedly being orchestrated by youths from a neighbouring community..
He, therefore, called on government to beef up security in and around Nembe City ahead of Saturday’s elections, with a security checkpoint stationed at the Nembe Unity bridge to checkmate unusual movement of persons with criminal intentions into the community.
The Chairman, Nembe Divisional Council of Chiefs, Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange, and the President of Nembe City Youth Organisation, Mr Nelson Ebimie, were among those who made contributions at the meeting.
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