By Abdulrazaq Adebayo With few days to the general elections, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji ...
By Abdulrazaq Adebayo
With few days to the general elections, the Emir of Ilorin
and Chairman Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has
appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to remain
neutral and unbiased in the conduct of the exercise.
The traditional ruler also asked the electoral umpire to
ensure that the exercise is conducted in a free, fair and credible atmosphere
by giving all political parties equal rights and opportunities during the
contest.
Alhaji Sulu Gambari cautioned politicians and their
supporters not to heat up the polity in the quest to canvass for votes from the
electorate as no society can grow amid rancour and disorderliness.
He also advised residents of the state to remain calm and
resolute as they are confronted with the current hard time resulting from the
currency swap and fuel scarcity across the country.
Alhaji Sulu Gambari, expressed serious concern over the
numerous socio-economic hardships orchestrated by the inadequate circulation of
the redesigned naira notes, fuel scarcity and the impending general elections
in the next few days.
The monarch asserted that the current situation will only
last for a short period of time even as he urged them to allow peace to reign
before, during and after the general elections.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Abdulazeez Arowona
in Ilorin on Thursday, the Emir, urged parents to prevail on their children and
wards to be law abiding to the constituted authorities and not involve in any
act capable of causing crises especially during this hard period.
He stressed that for the nation to enjoy democratic
advancement in the face of several challenges, there is need for tolerance,
perseverance and adequate supports from members of the public irrespective of
their social status and religious belief by standing on the path of peace and
harmony in order to avoid disarray of government programmes and actions.
“As traditional rulers, myself and my colleagues are deeply
touched and aware of the various challenges faced by the general public,
especially people at the grassroots level.
“It is my hope that while the government is making frantic
efforts towards addressing the ugly situation, I appeal to the people of Ilorin
Emirate and Kwarans at large to remain calm and patient and not to allow anyone
to use them to cause political unrest in the society.
“Naira notes remain the only legal tender which allow for
easy transaction of business activities while a large volume of fuel is being
consumed on daily basis for both domestic and industrial purposes, therefore
the scarcity of both has no doubt caused unbearable hardship on the people,” he
added.
According to the Emir of Ilorin, “It is only in an
atmosphere of peace and tranquility that democracy can grow. I urge all
political parties’ stalwarts to endeavour to play the game of electioneering
processes by the rules by embracing peaceful coexistence among themselves
irrespective of their party lines.
“Voters should also exercise their franchise in a peaceful
manner and vote for candidates of their choice without fear. The Ilorin Emirate
is peaceful, Kwara State is peaceful and we don’t want any unfortunate incident
that will tarnish our longstanding reputation as the most peaceful state in
Nigeria,” the statement added.
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