A woman casts her votes during the gubernatorial and state house assembly elections at a polling center in Makoko near Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, March. 9, 2019. Nigerians are going to the polls to choose governors in 29 of 36 states in Africa's largest democracy amid reports of heavy military deployment and attacks against electoral facilities in a few areas. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
A group, the South West Security Think Tank Forum has called for calm and urges all citizens to eschew violence as the election results are being released.
The Forum is appealing and impressing all aggrieved youths that elections are won and lost based on the aggregate of votes from all over the country and not in a few places where they have a strong showing. It calls on those that feel aggrieved to wait until the final result is announced and act within the dictate of the Constitution by taking legal and legitimate steps to seek redress and not resort to violence or anarchy.
The Forum cautioned that while some youths or citizens may have valid concerns to express, there are criminals and agents of destruction always waiting for such opportunity to loot and commit arson which will completely jeopardise the genuine concerns of citizens.
The Forum warns that under no guise must the South West zone be turned to an epicentre of violence and arson as witnessed in the last Endsars protests. It should be noted that the South West especially Lagos State is yet to fully recover from the arson and wanton destruction of properties during the Endsars saga.
The Forum equally calls on all governors in the South West to take urgent steps to prevent a breakdown of law and order by prompt liaising with all the security agencies. It calls on all the security agencies to make necessary proactive deployments to prevent violence and to safeguard lives, properties, investments and critical infrastructure.
On their part, parents, guardians, traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders and all persons in authority are advised to warn their children, wards and youths to shun violence, destruction of property and any act of brigandage.
The Forum calls on leaders of all the political parties to come out strongly to call their supporters to order, noting that they are all signatories to the peace accords before the elections. Political leaders must be mindful of their utterances and also caution their supporters on the implications of violent actions and statements on our collective security.
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