Worried by a possible post-election crisis, some elder statesmen and political stakeholders under the auspices of National Coalition for Peace and Unity (NACOPU) have begun an interface movement with key political actors.
The political stakeholders, at their inaugural meeting in Abuja yesterday, cautioned politicians to ensure that the country remains peaceful after the election, adding that the naira swap crisis, militancy, banditry, terrorism, ethnic and regional agitation are already taking a toll on the polity.
Former Senate president and national chairman of NACOPU, Senator Ken Nnamani, said it is imperative for the leaders and elders across the nation to put in place proactive measures to forestall the potential national crisis.
Nnamani this NACOPU will be different from other groups because it will speak truth to all concerned.
He said: “I support the concept of a group that can afford to speak to others. We are going into a pivotal electoral process and the challenge will be more after the results of the election. A group like this should be in the position to speak up and lead with recommendations. I know people will dispute the results but there should be people that should advise that we should not allow two, three, five judges to determine who rules us. We should obey the outcome of the ballot box.”
The convener of the group and its general secretary, Dr Cairo Ojougboh said NACOPU, whose members cut across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), aims to manage the immediate pre and post election solutions.
He added, “We want our elders and leaders to begin to look at what is going to happen during the general election. We are looking at pre election, during the election and post election.”
have decided to gather is to make sure that we begin to educate our youths and our leaders who are the participants in this coming elections.
“As leaders we must advise them not to incite their followers. If leaders behave like former President Jonathan, who threw in the towel before the election result was announced. That was exceptional and after that election there was no crisis. If he had contested that result, crisis would have started immediately and that was examplary and that is the situation we expect.”
He insisted that leaders must be able to speak to their followers, adding, “when this election is taking place, leaders must be able to speak with their followers, the youths must be made to understand that what you see on the social media might not be actually what it should be or what will be.
“After the election, we must tell leaders and their followers that if you do not have peace, if there is problem or crisis, you will not be able to govern. If you are a governor you will not be able to govern. So, the need for peace is sine qua non for the existence of the country.”
Ojougboh added that leaders must begin to preach peace and talk about it.
“We want to walk out a formula, so that we can reach the governors, the governed, the churches, their leaders, the professionals. We want to reach the masses at the grass-root, because the situation in the country today is quite difficult, crisis everywhere, banks being attacked. It is only their leaders who can control them and call them to order.
“We believe in the entity called Nigeria, there will be peace, progress, that is why we gathered here as active politicians. There are other organizations that have this purpose put together by elders. What we are doing is self funding and that is why this is different, it is those who have the interest of Nigeria. Through this system we can bring peace to this country,” he said.
Ezeife on his part, pointed out that it doesn’t any preaching for people to understand that “we are in a make or break situation in our country.
He said that there is no basis for violence, acrimony, stressing, “the new Nigeria will accommodate all of us.”
