GEJ Warns Against Bloodshed Ahead Of Tomorrow’s Polls
President Goodluck Jonathan has warned against violence ahead of Saturday’s presidential election as people stockpiled food, cash and fuel for fear of post-election clashes.
Jonathan will face former military ruler Gen, Muhammadu Buhari in what is seen as the closest presidential race since the end of military rule in 1999.
In a broadcast to the nation earlier today, Jonathan said no political ambition could justify violence or bloodshed, adding that security measures had been taken to guarantee a free and fair election.
He said,
Let me warn, however, that as President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, I am under oath to protect the lives of all Nigerians and the security of our country at all times. I will never abdicate my responsibilities in that regard. Those who may harbor any intentions of testing our will by unleashing violence during the elections in order to advance their political ambitions should think again,” Jonathan said.
He added that security agencies were ready to deal with anyone who tried to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the elections or cause public disorder in Africa’s top oil producer and biggest economy.
Long queues formed outside banks today from people seeking to withdraw money. Queues for fuel also stretched for hundreds of meters in cities across the country.
“I’m getting my cash out now because I don’t know what is going to happen. If it gets bad, you don’t want to be stuck with no cash,” Wale Olatunji, 31, a businessman queuing in the sun at a bank in Abuja, said.
Ishaya Yahaya Junior, a 40-year-old civil servant in the northern metropolis of Kaduna, where worst violence occurred in 2011, said the atmosphere was tense, amid fears of a repeat of post-election violence.
“We have been stockpiling provisions – lots of people have been doing this. We don’t want to go outside if there is trouble,” said the father-of-two, who estimated that his family could live for three weeks on stored food if necessary.king it possible for thousands of internally-displaced Nigerians to begin returning to their homes and communities,” Jonathan said.
Source: Reuters