{"id":64766,"date":"2019-02-13T15:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=64766"},"modified":"2019-02-13T15:00:33","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T14:00:33","slug":"dont-be-used-for-election-violence-buhari-tells-nigerian-youths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/dont-be-used-for-election-violence-buhari-tells-nigerian-youths\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Be Used For Election Violence, Buhari Tells Nigerian Youths"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
President Muhammadu Buhari has warned Nigerian youths to stay away from
\nPoliticians who want to use them for violence, admitting that there is
\n\u201canxiety in the air\u201d as the country prepares to elect a new President on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n

This formed part of his remarks at the signing of a peace accord on the
\n2019 presidential election, held at the International Conference Centre
\n(ICC), Abuja, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Buhari expressed excitement that more women and youth candidates showed
\ninterest in taking up elective positions in the 2019 elections, just as he
\nurged all candidates to commit to the ideals of a peaceful electoral
\nprocess.<\/p>\n

He further restated his commitment to ensuring free, fair and credible
\nelections.<\/p>\n

THE FULL SPEECH<\/p>\n

Another election is upon us and not unexpectedly, there is anxiety in the
\nair. This is typical of any form of competition and contest, no matter how
\nwell prepared all contestants and regulators are. The forthcoming
\nelections are very special and significant for the growth of our
\nDemocracy.<\/p>\n

First, they come immediately after one of the most peaceful elections in
\nthe history of our country. I am not saying this because I was blessed to
\nemerge as the winner. I am saying there had been a lot of fears and
\nanxieties from within and outside Nigeria about the future of the country.
\nWe are hopeful that this is evidence that we are all maturing in our
\ndisposition towards electoral outcomes. We see this as an opportunity to
\ngrow our sense of political culture in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Secondly, we are witnessing an exciting development in the area of the
\nengagement of our Youth and Women in the democratic process. Hitherto,
\nthese groups have often not been in the mainstream of our political
\ncompetition. It is in appreciation of their contribution that we passed
\nthe Not Too Young to Run Bill last year. The success of the Act is
\nillustrated by the unprecedented number of young men and women who have
\nstepped forward to participate in this process as Candidates at all
\nlevels. Significantly, we have witnessed also the emergence of Women as
\nCandidates across the political space.<\/p>\n

Thirdly, these elections are taking place against the backdrop of the
\nemergence of an unprecedented number of Political Parties. As of now, we
\nhave 91 Political Parties, out of which over 70 fielded Presidential
\nCandidates. Although some Candidates have dropped out of the race, there
\nis no doubt in our minds that our country is moving forward and that our
\ndemocracy is expanding and also deepening.<\/p>\n

I call on all Nigerians to contribute to the building of a viable polity
\nby more active participation well beyond the mere casting of votes.
\nElections by themselves do not constitute Democracy. It is the spirit of
\ncitizenship engagement that utilizes the energy of citizens towards the
\nattainment of good governance.<\/p>\n

We have assembled here to mark the final phase of our campaigns and we are
\nnow at the doorstep of our elections. The Campaigns so far have gone well
\nand we thank God for that. For the few incidents in which people lost
\ntheir lives largely through accidents, we pray that God grants them
\neternal peace. Now campaigns are over and our next assignment is for us
\nall, citizens and contestants alike, to go out and exercise our civic
\nduties.<\/p>\n

We, the Presidential candidates are here to sign and commit ourselves to
\ndo all that is possible to ensure the success of the elections but most
\nimportantly to accept the final outcome. I appeal to my fellow contestants
\nto commit to these ideals so as to keep our country and people safe. The
\nIndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC, our electoral Umpire, has
\nalready assured us that they have done everything possible to ensure free
\nand fair elections.<\/p>\n

It was to ensure this that I made sure that INEC received all the
\nresources they needed to perform their job. Our Security Agencies have
\nbeen fully briefed and they know that their visible neutrality is key to
\nthe conduct, credibility and success of the elections.<\/p>\n

To the Rt. Honourable Patricia Scotland, the Secretary General of the
\nCommonwealth Secretariat, we extend our felicitations and welcome to you.
\nYour presence here and your friendship mean a lot to us as a country. To
\nthe Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the International Team of Monitors,
\nagain, I say, welcome to Nigeria and thank you very much for standing by
\nus. Your presence helps to validate our process and commitment to growing
\nour Democracy.<\/p>\n

I want to thank General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Chairman of the National
\nPeace Committee and all his members for the hard work they have put into
\nensuring that our Elections are peaceful. Your great work contributed
\nsignificantly in shaping the 2015 elections and we are sure that the same
\nimpact will be felt in these elections.<\/p>\n

To all our citizens, I want to thank you. As we go into the elections in
\nfew days, please let us pray for our country. Let us use this opportunity
\nto strengthen our beliefs in a united country. Our elections are important
\nonly to the extent that they make our country peaceful and prepare us for
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n

I am making a special appeal to our young people: Do not allow yourselves
\nto be used to cause violence. Please eschew all forms of violence and
\ncooperate with all the relevant agencies during these elections. We will
\nvote according to Parties, but in the end, the only real Party is Nigeria,
\nour country. Our elections are important only to the extent that they make
\nher strong. Let us do our best and ask God to bless us and our country.<\/p>\n

Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned Nigerian youths to stay away from Politicians who want to use them for violence, admitting that there is \u201canxiety in the air\u201d as the country…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\nDon't Be Used For Election Violence, Buhari Tells Nigerian Youths - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/dont-be-used-for-election-violence-buhari-tells-nigerian-youths\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don't Be Used For Election Violence, Buhari Tells Nigerian Youths - 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