Polls: INEC urges traditional rulers to ensure peace
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Nura has urged traditional rulers to prevail on their subjects not to engage in acts capable of disrupting peace during the forthcoming general election.
Nura also appealed to religious leaders, political parties and candidates to sensitise their followers on the need to be peaceful and orderly during the election.
He made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Wednesday.
The REC stressed that traditional rulers should ensure that their subjects were not being used by self-seeking elements to foment trouble during the election.
He urged them to scale up enlightenment activities to educate their subjects and mobilise participation in the ongoing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) distribution exercise.
According to him, traditional rulers need to make their domains peaceful throughout the election period.
“I will also call on politicians and religious leaders to also prevail on their supporters against disrupting peace during pre and post-election periods.
“We are working in synergy with security agencies to deal with the violators of our electoral laws, including those who may be trying to compromise our staff responsibility.
“Moreover, adequate security measures have been put in place to forestall breakdown of law and order across the state during the election,” he said.
On PVCs distribution, Nura said that 252,119 PVCs had been collected while 109,871 remained uncollected in the state.
He said that the PVCs collection was a daily exercise including Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at INEC offices across the 20 local government areas of the state.
The REC also advised eligible voters, who are yet to collect their PVCs to do so before the Jan. 29 deadline, to enable them to exercise their franchise.
