Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, on Monday, said he remains a relentless advocate of free, fair and peaceful elections in the country.
Speaking at a retreat for officers of the Nigerian Police held in Owerri, he said he has always maintained that every election dispute can, and should be, resolved peacefully through available legal channels, and not by violence or by heating up the polity.
Uzodimma noted that “When we as politicians accept the fact the losers of today can be the winners of tomorrow, then we will see no reason to rock the boat when we lose.
“I believe that this conference should look more critically at this sore aspect of our politics. Perhaps, if you do, you may find lasting solutions to the threat which election losers continually pose to our national cohesion.
He commended the Nigeria Police High Command for the theme of the retreat, “The imperative of a Nigerian Police Strategic Plan for a Peaceful Election”, which he noted “is not only apt but reassuring as we approach the general elections of 2023.
“Permit me, therefore, to suggest that this strategic plan should include a recommendation that all candidates in the elections must undertake, under oath, to denounce violence.
“They should also commit and sign an undertaking that all disputes over election results can only be challenged peacefully through the court process, and that the parties to the dispute must be bound by the outcome of that process.
“I make this submission because it is obvious to me and other objective observers that post – election violence constitutes a major threat to our democracy. Whereas an election could be adjudged peaceful and free, the refusal of some politicians to accept an outcome of defeat often throws up more severe threats to our democracy” Uzodimma stated.
