Nasarawa vows peaceful polls, warns against electoral violence

By Edwin Philip, Lafia The Nasarawa State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to conducting free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections, warning individuals and groups planning to instigate violence that they will be arrested and prosecuted. The State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Nawani Aboki, gave the assurance while addressing journalists, stakeholders, party supporters and government partners in Lafia on Monday.

Aboki said the government was monitoring the security situation across the state’s local government areas to ensure that voters could exercise their franchise without fear or intimidation. Warning those contemplating violence, the commissioner said the government’s preference for peace should not be mistaken for weakness. “Quietness does not mean that somebody is weak.

At times, when someone is pushed, the time comes when they must act. “Anyone who wants to perpetuate violence will be arrested and prosecuted to ensure we have peaceful elections,” he warned. He urged political parties and candidates to conduct their campaigns in an orderly and civilised manner, stressing that political violence would serve no useful purpose in the electoral process or the development of the state.

On voter participation, Aboki urged eligible residents to ensure their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were ready and safely kept ahead of the elections. He advised voters against waiting until election day to collect their PVCs and encouraged those yet to register to take advantage of the online voter registration platform. Highlighting infrastructure and social development projects undertaken by the Federal Government and the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule, the commissioner cited the proposed transformation of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, into a specialised mining university, as well as the Leather Designing and Craft School in Doma.

On infrastructure, he listed the ongoing federal government dualisation and expansion of the Nasarawa-Keffi road network and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Superhighway among projects expected to improve connectivity. In the health sector, Aboki said the upgrading and expansion of the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital into the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, alongside facilities such as the Federal Eye Centre in Doma, had improved access to healthcare.

The commissioner called on residents to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate and other party candidates, arguing that such support would sustain the development initiatives of the Sule administration. “I know all of us are happy with the work Governor Sule has done. And so he has given us somebody we need to support. I want to call on all of us, and indeed the people of Nasarawa State, to support the candidate he has given us,” he said.

He expressed the hope that the candidate would build on the achievements of the incumbent administration and deliver further development. Aboki also called for support for Governor Sule’s senatorial ambition, saying his performance in Akwanga zone deserved recognition. “He has done so much for the Akwanga zone, and I think the area should show gratitude and elect him as Senator for that particular zone,” he added.

The commissioner said the Sule administration remained open to dialogue and constructive feedback from citizens and development partners to advance its development objectives.