ABUJA – A former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana, on Tuesday urged Nigerians to reject violence, before, during and after the forthcoming general elections.
Gana gave the advice in Abuja while addressing the audience at the Selma film, organised by the Institute for Peace and Conflict
Resolution to sensitise the electorate against violent elections.
“Violence in a democracy is something that we must collectively reject in our society, “ he said.
Gana, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, said that rather than resort to violence, Nigerians should uphold the rule of law during the elections.
He expressed concern over politics of intimidation and called on politicians to respect the rule of law.
Gana reminded politicians that “in a democracy, the rule of law should be allowed to take its full course. “
He also advised voters to see themselves as equal partners in the electoral process, adding that they were free to vote for whoever they wished to be their leaders without intimidation.
Gana expressed optimism that Nigeria would witness a credible, peaceful, orderly and violence-free elections.
Representative of the Inspector-General of Police, Customs, Nigerian Army and some religious leaders attended the occasion.
The film highlights the non-violent struggle, championed by the foremost human crusader in the U.S Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
King (Jan. 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968), was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
He was best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using non-violent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
King led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 and served as its first president.
On Oct.14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through non-violence.
In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People’s Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee, US.
Prof Jerry Gana
