Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has urged the residents of the state to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner during and after the presidential and National Assembly elections slated for Saturday, February 25, 2023.

Bello, who gave the charge during a stakeholders meeting at the Government House in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Thursday, stated that elections were a time for the people to come together to express their opinions and to make their voices heard.

The governor said any act of violence or disturbance of public peace and breakdown of law and order will not be tolerated.

He said: “As we are going into the presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday, I want to charge all of us that elections are a time for us to come together, to express our opinions, and to make our voices heard. It is not a time for violence or any other form of disruption.

“I urge all citizens to practice restraint, respect for one another’s opinions and focus on the issues at hand. We have been canvassing support for the success of our party and I am sure we are going to deliver all our candidates from the presidency to the State Assembly 100 per cent.

“As we go into the elections, let me state here that we must respect the rule of law and the democratic process.

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“The safety and security of our citizens are paramount and I urge all of us to do our part to ensure that our elections are conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner.

“We have worked tirelessly to build peace and security in the last seven years which is one of my administration’s cardinal objectives.

“I, therefore, urge all citizens to avoid any form of violence or destruction during this time. Let me add that any imported political thugs or mercenaries found in Kogi during the elections will end up in the hands of law enforcement agencies.

“I also want to remind everyone that anyone found causing trouble or engaging in any form of illegal activity will be dealt with according to the law of the land,” Governor Bello stated.

Bello, while urging the electorate to vote en mass for the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the party has done well in Kogi State, saying the people will continue to give their support.

He said the transformation in the state’s health, education, agricultural sectors, infrastructure, human capital development, and security were clear testaments to the performance of his administration under the APC.

“I have the assurances of our people that Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu will be elected overwhelmingly and other APC candidates.

“Kogi is APC’s traditional home and we are going to give the highest percentage of votes to Asiwaju and other candidates.

“Let us remember that the future of our country depends on us coming together and working towards a better tomorrow and I can assure you Asiwaju will renew our hope of greater Nigeria as president,” Bello added.

The Star