President Goodluck Jonathan has urged anyone preparing to cause violence<\/p>\n
during and after the elections to have a rethink as security agencies have
\nbeen mandated to deal with any mayhem.<\/p>\n
The President in a nationwide pre election broadcast urged all eligible
\nvoters to ensure they vote candidates of their choice in the Presidential
\nand National and State Assembly elections<\/p>\n
The President’s speech reads:
\nDear Compatriots,
\n1. As we prepare to go to the polls tomorrow, I have come
\nbefore you this morning to express my immense appreciation for the
\nopportunity you gave me to lead this great nation of ours in the past four
\nyears.
\n2. I also wish to place on record, once again, my sincere
\ngratitude for the support you have given my administration without which
\nthe significant progress we have made in recent years would not have been
\npossible.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
3. In spite of the many challenges we have had to contend with
\nsince 1999, our present democratic dispensation continues to endure and
\ngrow stronger in keeping with the yearnings and aspirations of our people.
\n4. We have all worked very hard to nurture and strengthen our
\ndemocratic institutions and promote the good governance practices which
\nthey were designed to deliver for the better well-being of our people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
5. I believe I can say without fear of contradiction that we all
\nclearly cherish the democracy we now have and will never willingly give it
\nup for any other form of governance.
\n6. This much-cherished democracy of ours is about to be put to
\nthe test once again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
7. I urge you all to troop out en-masse to peacefully perform
\nyour civic duty of voting for leaders of your choice tomorrow.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
8. As we do so, let us all – political party leaders,
\ncontestants, party members, party agents, supporters and ordinary voters
\nalike, be very conscious of the fact that the eyes of the entire world are
\non us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
9. We must therefore comport ourselves in a manner that will
\nfurther strengthen our democracy and consolidate our place in the comity
\nof truly democratic nations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
10. I made a commitment on assumption of office to progressively
\ndeliver freer, fairer and more credible elections in our country. In
\nkeeping with that commitment, the Federal Government has given the
\nIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) all necessary support to
\nensure that it conducts very successful elections tomorrow and on April
\n11.
\n11. We have all been assured that INEC is fully ready for the
\nelections. I believe that we can all trust that they are certainly more
\nready now than they may have been before security issues and other
\nconcerns necessitated a re-scheduling of the dates for the 2015 general
\nelections.
\n12. As an administration, we welcome the fact that millions of
\nNigerians who were yet to receive their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) as
\nat February 14, and would therefore have been unfairly disenfranchised if
\nthe polls had gone ahead on that date, have seized the opportunity of the
\nre-scheduling to collect their cards and can now exercise their right to
\nvote tomorrow.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
13. We are also glad that our gallant Armed Forces have successfully
\nstemmed the seizure of Nigerian territories in the North-East by the
\nterrorist group, Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
14. They have recaptured most of the communities and territories
\nformerly occupied by the insurgents, making it possible for thousands of
\ninternally-displaced Nigerians to begin returning to their homes and
\ncommunities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
15. I heartily commend the very courageous men and women of our
\nArmed Forces for the immense sacrifices which they continue to make in
\ndefending the nation and protecting its citizens.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
16. I also thank all Nigerians for keeping faith with us over the
\npast six weeks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
17. I call on all political parties and politicians in the country
\nto allow the free, unfettered will of our people to be expressed without
\nany hindrance in the coming elections in keeping with the hallowed
\nprinciples and tenets of democratic governance which we all profess.
\n18. The will of the people freely expressed through the ballot is the
\nbedrock of all democracies and ours cannot be an exception.
\n19. Let us all therefore be prepared, as true democrats, to
\ngraciously accept the outcome of the elections as the rightful choice of
\nour people from whom all political powers in our democracy must emanate.
\n20. My administration has done its utmost best in the past four years
\nto deliver on our promise to positively transform our country.
\n21. Tomorrow\u2019s election is another very important milestone as we
\ncontinue our march towards the fulfillment of our God-given potential for
\ngreatness.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
22. The election offers us another opportunity to empower leaders of
\nour choice once again, and to show the world that genuine democracy is
\nalive and well in our beloved nation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
23. I will like to restate my belief that no political ambition can
\njustify violence or the shedding of the blood of our people.
\n24. I reaffirm once again, my personal preparedness to ensure fair
\nplay during the elections and to deploy the resources and institutions of
\nstate only in the manner prescribed by our laws.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
25. Let me warn, however, that as President, Commander-In-Chief of
\nthe Armed Forces, I am under oath to protect the lives of all Nigerians
\nand the security of our country at all times. I will never abdicate my
\nresponsibilities in that regard.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
26. Democracy allows dissent. It encourages differences and even
\nfervent disagreements. But elections must never be mistaken for war or an
\nopportunity to set fellow citizens against each other and tear our beloved
\nnation apart.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
27. Those who may harbor any intentions of testing our will by
\nunleashing violence during the elections in order to advance their
\npolitical ambitions should think again as all necessary measures have been
\nput in place to ensure that any persons who breach the peace or cause
\npublic disorder during or after the elections are speedily apprehended and
\nsummarily dealt with according to our laws.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
28. The nation\u2019s security agencies are also fully prepared and ready
\nto deal decisively with any group or persons who attempt to disrupt the
\npeaceful conduct of the elections or cause any form of public disorder.
\n29. Our dear country, Nigeria is the largest democracy amongst black
\nnations of the world. We are a nation of great accomplishments, with a
\nproud history of evolving affinities.
\n30. Let us go out tomorrow to vote peacefully and set a fitting
\nexample of political maturity for other emerging democracies to follow.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
31. I wish you all and our dear nation, very peaceful and successful
\nelections.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
32. May God Almighty continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
33. I thank you all.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Goodluck Jonathan has urged anyone preparing to cause violence during and after the elections to have a rethink as security agencies have been mandated to deal with any mayhem.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n