Governors restate commitment to violence free elections

In the wake of the spate of electoral violence that recently broke out� in some states in the country, the Nigeria Governors Forum has restated its commitment to ensure that the April polls are free,� fair and violence free. Chairman of the forum and governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, said this after an emergency meeting of the forum in Abuja. Saraki also revealed that the governors also agreed that members contest the elections fairly. Meanwhile, civil society organisations working on the April 2011 general elections have expressed concern that the raging violence across several states of the country poses serious threats to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections across the country. Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the executive director of Committee for the Defence of Democracy, Dr Jibrin Ibrahim who spoke on behalf of the group says the unprecedented level of violence that have seen several people either killed, maimed, kidnapped or intimidated for political reasons poses a significant threat to the general elections. The group under the umbrella of Nigeria Elections Situation Room attributed the increasing violence to the actions of some incumbent governors who prevented opposition parties from equal access to public venues for campaigns. Dr Ibrahim however expressed optimism that a violence-free election can be held if Nigerian youths resist being recruited as thugs by political parties. Courtesy Of: Channels tv