Ezekwesili, Durotoye, Moghalu pledge violence-free 2019 election

Three candidates contesting the February 16 presidential election have pledged to shun violence and promote peaceful coexistence during pre-election, election and post-election periods.

The candidates made the remarks separately when the “Vote Not Fight, Election No Be War Campaign” team led by a celebrated musician, Innocent Idibia, popularly called 2Baba, visited them in the Abuja.

All the candidates also endorsed the campaign which was a civic education and voter enlightenment programme designed to promote peaceful elections sponsored by 2Face Idibia Foundation, Youngsters Development Initiative (YDI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The candidate of the Alliance for New Democracy (ANN), Mr. Fela Durotoye, said his party and its followers would ensure violence-free electoral processes.

“This campaign was in line with my values as a person, our values as a party and one of the core value statements that we are pushing to Nigerians.  Without peace, it is impossible to have an election,” he said.

Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), while endorsing the “Vote Not Fight, Election No Be War Campaign” said the effort would guarantee credible elections.

In her remarks, the candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili said peace was germane to the conduct of any election.

“I absolutely believe in a peaceful conduct of election. We believe that the level of impoverishment of our citizens is so deep that the last thing you want to do is violence,” she said.

Innocent Idibia, in his address, called on the people, irrespective of their affiliation to eschew violence.

“The essence of the campaign is to shun violence both before and after the elections,” he said.

Also, Executive Director, Youngsters Foundation, Kingsley Bangwell, said the campaign which started in 2015, was meant to ensure peaceful elections