Benin City – Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Sam Olumekun mni, yesterday charged youth to spread the message of peace to the nooks and crannies of the state ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.
He gave the charge at the INEC Edo state voter education sensitization forum for youth, civil society organizations, people with disabilities and faith base organization held in Benin City, yesterday.
The REC who was represented by Mr. Francis Ikpefua said for a peaceful election to be guaranteed in the state, the youth have a greater role to play in dousing the level of tension in the state through spreading of messages of peace before, during and after the state’s election, stressing that, that is the reason they cannot be ignored if the commission must achieved its set target of delivering a successful and a conclusive election in the state.
While speaking on the “Role of Edo Youth in Ensuring a Violence Free Election”, the Deputy Director, Civil Societies Organizations, Mrs. Rose Orianran Anthony said the objective of the voter education sensitization forum for youth, CSOs and PWDs was to encourage the youth to spread the message of peace before, during and after the election.
She said as the election is fast approaching there is also a corresponding palpable tension looming in the air suggesting violence in the state which should not have been.
She said the youth have the capacity to quench such tension in the state when the election is seeing as family affairs.
She noted that the people have the rights to elect those who govern them and such rights can only be truncated when there is violence in the state before and during election.
On her part, INEC Youth Ambassador, Mrs. Helen Paul while speaking on “Edo State, Our Youth, Our Future”, said the youth should not allow themselves to be used as weapon of war in the hands of the politicians.
She said the youth should know that the politicians who are engaging them in carrying out violence during election, have their sons and daughters abroad.
She further appealed to politicians to create jobs for the unemployed youth to cut down the level of youth restiveness in the state.
