Posted by In the sake of fairness and the growth of democracy in the nation, the Network of Bayelsa Professionals (NBP) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reject the temptation of meddling in the state’s governorship election on November 11.
The group claimed its request for impartiality from the presidency follows rumors that President Tinubu promised Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) his full support, including the use of the military to assist in his victory.
Members of the APC in the state were reported to be celebrating after the President promised their candidate, Sylva, that he would do everything in his power to ensure his victory, including leveraging the military’s clout.
Following the recent encounter between Tinubu and Sylva at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, it was also claimed that some APC leaders in the state made the assertion in a social media video that went viral.
However, if the allegations are accurate, President Tinubu will be undermining democracy and preparing the state for anarchy, according to a statement released by the Network of Bayelsa Professionals on Sunday.
“Tinubu should realize that he still carries a weight around because of his emergence and should not add to that weight, but rather use the upcoming elections to start to redeem himself,” the group urged.
Therefore, we urge the president to be wary of those who would exploit him to undermine the state’s peace and stability out of a desperate need for power.
“Bayelsans are preparing for elections rather than a conflict. Votes, not bullets, should be the focal point. PVC rather than AK-47s. Because of the role that some security agents previously played, we have lost innocent people in the past.
They urged Tinubu to issue a warning to all the institutions in charge of the election process, insisting that the vote should not be used to turn the state into a theater of war and that they should “not create tension and unnecessary panic before, during and after the election.”