September 20, (THEWILL) – Former President Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned politicians across the country to eschew violence, ahead of the 2023 general election.
The former President spoke on Tuesday, in Abuja, at the 2022 peace conference, organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.
The peace conference titled, “The Role of Elections in a Multi-Ethnic Context”, was held at the NAF Conference Centre.
Participants at the conference sought to examine the trends and threats to a peaceful election and build a multi-stakeholder consensus toward a peaceful general election in 2023.
Jonathan urged those seeking elective positions to preserve Nigeria’s democracy. According to him, those interested in becoming president, governors, and legislators, have roles to play in preserving the nation’s democracy.
“We must have a state before you talk about having a President or a governor. If you destroy the country, then where do we need a President? Anybody who is interested in leadership at the level of a president, governor, senator, etc, you have the biggest stake to protect the nation.
“Both those who want to be President, governors and their supporters should first know that we need to have a nation before whoever you are supporting can emerge (into leadership position)”, he said.
Jonatha, who identified fake news, hate speech, and propaganda as the biggest threat to Nigerian democracy, cautioned the citizens, especially the youths against hate speech.
He commended Nigerian youths for picking up interest in the 2023 general elections.
In attendance at the Conference included Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjkpo, former Governor of Bauchi state, Isa Yuguda, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese, among others.
About the Author
