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As the preparations for the forthcoming general elections gather momentum, politicians and individual leaders have been urged to be mindful of how they talk and conduct themselves to ensure violence-free elections.
According to an All Progressives Congress, APC, stalwart in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, who spoke recently with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, using careless and reckless statements against political opponents could not only heat up the polity but might be misinterpreted to suggest hate speech.
To Princewill, the only thing that would guarantee peaceful and violent- free elections is when everyone focuses on brotherly love irrespective of political party affiliations.
He pointed out that even though politics and elections in Rivers State had in the past been characterised by violence, there could be a change if individual leaders should be responsible in their words and actions.
“It is a question of peace, most people take it for granted that Rivers State is a violent place and that politics and elections will also be characterized by violence and there is nothing we can do about it.
“While one can’t eliminate it completely, the fact remains that as individual leaders we have a responsibility to watch how we talk and how we conduct ourselves and that even our words can be violent and our body language can also be violent.
“I used to attack the Wike-led government but I have learnt a lot from Tonye Cole and have toned down now because there is no need heating up the polity by reckless statements that can be misinterpreted to suggest hate speech”, he said.
Princewill also enjoined the electorates to feel free to come out and exercise their franchise. “They should not be afraid or ashamed to identify with whoever they want to identify with. Years gone by, Rivers State had been a theatre of violence and there had been no consequences for it but they should be rest assured that there should be consequences this time around and so a peaceful election is expected.”
