From Tony John, Port Harcourt PRESIDENT General-elect of South-
South and South- East Yoruba Council, Chief Adekunle Alabi, has called for violent-free rerun Legislative elections in Rivers State and governorship polls in Ondo State. Chief Alabi, who emerged as president general-elect of Yoruba communities in the two regions, at the weekend, made the calls yesterday, while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt.
He charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and federal government to do the needful to ensure free, fair and credible polls on Saturday, November 26, in Ondo and December 10, this year, in Rivers States.
Also, Chief Alabi charged the electorate, politicians and government of Ondo State, not to allow a repeat of 1983 governorship election crisis, where many lives and unquantifiable property were destroyed.
Similarly, the leader of Yoruba communities urged the electoral umpire and government to allow the votes of the electorate count in the Ondo governorship and Rivers legislative rerun elections.
He said:: “The governorship elections in Ondo and National and State Assemblies rerun polls in Rivers States should be violent-free and let the best candidates win. “ INEC and security agencies should do their jobs professionally and allow it to be free, fair and credible. They should allow the wish of the electorate to prevail.
“Specifically for Ondo politicians, they should embrace peace, vote the mutual candidate of the people. They should avoid acts that could truncate the democratic process.
“ For Rivers politicians, they should be God fearing , play to the rules of the game and avoid political thuggery. If elections are peaceful, the atmosphere would attract investors and development ,” he advised.