NILDS DG warns politicians against raising tension during polls

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), yesterday warned Nigerian politicians to stop taking citizens for granted by creating tension during elections, saying such attitude is an invitation to a fresh military era.

The Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, handed down the warning in Abuja during an interview with journalists on the sideline of a policy dialogue on election security and inclusive citizens’ participation in Nigeria.

“Nobody should be under the illusion that the era of the military is over. What’s happening in Africa is a worrisome development. In Sudan, Mali, Chad and others, it is a worrisome development and it could snowball to us in this country.

“So, if we don’t want it – I wouldn’t want it, we don’t pray for it – it is a function of our attitude to the democratic process and electoral issues. The point I am making is this, we, as Nigerian politicians, the political class in this country, must be worried about these situations,” he said.

Earlier, the programme coordinator of CLEEN Foundation, Mrs Ruth Olofin, faulted how many political parties structured their activities, saying it was deliberate to scheme out women.