Jega, Onaiyekan call for caution ahead of 2019 elections
Professor Attahiru Jega, the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sent a message to Nigeria to be cautious ahead of the 2019 general elections. Jega gave this call on Thursday, April 5 in Abuja.
- Nigerians have been advised by former INEC chairman, Jega, to be cautious ahead of the elections
- According to him, the country was drifting towards chaos
- Some elder statesmen have also noted that there was a rise in violence and chaos
Professor Attahiru Jega, the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sent a message to Nigeria to be cautious ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Daily Trust reports that the former INEC chairman gave this call on Thursday, April 5, in Abuja.
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This was at a special stakeholders meeting tagged, ‘Civil Society Leaders Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on Arresting the Drift Towards Chaos in Nigeria’ with the theme, ‘Return to the Agenda of Peace Building’.
Fifteen elder statesmen who spoke at the meeting noted that there was a rise in violence and chaos and there was need for Nigerians to be united.
The 15 leaders were John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Professor Attahiru Jega, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Ambassador Fatima Balla, Dr Hussaini Abdu and Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame. Others were Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze, Dr. Chris Kwaja, Ms. Idayat Hassan, Mallam Y. Z. Ya’u, Yakubu Aliyu, Dr. Kole Shettima and Dr. Usman Bugaje.
Jega spoke about “the dangers of politics of brinkmanship played by Nigeria’s political class” which he said “could take the country over the edge if care was not exercised.”
Cardinal Onaiyekan also cautioned Nigerians to be wary of the high number of fake news that are being spread to sow seed of discourse.
Professor Gambari who gave the keynote address said there was need to stop the rising problems affecting the country before it degenerated into chaos.
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NAIJ.com had reported that Jega, on Thursday, February 22, described politicians as the greatest threat to democracy in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jega said this at an election programme organised by Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA) in Abuja.
The report quoted him as saying the biggest threat is the recklessness of politicians to undermine Nigeria’s democracy, thereby destabilising the process of development.
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Source: Naija.ng