Electoral Violence Threat To Democracy, National Development – Olumekun

By Oladipo Airenakhoe

Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Sam Olumekun, has called for a second look at the way Nigerians elect their leaders, saying the use of violence during elections was a threat to democracy and national development.

At a one-day security meeting with political stakeholders organized by the Edo State Police Command last Thursday, he said Politics will always fail Nigerians until the use of violence by politicians is curbed.

The Resident Electoral boss said though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has put together, an inter – agency committee to deal with such issue as this, there was however need for political stakeholders to allow the provisions of the country’s electoral act to guide their conducts during and after an elections.

While assuring that INEC will conduct a clean, credible governorship election for Edo State, Mr. Olumekun advised political office holders in the country not to see such positions as a do-or-die affair.

He said it was not complimentary to the country that nearly a hundred years after Nigeria began conducting elections the nation was yet to do away with violent conducts during its elections.