Former Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Beks Dagogo-Jack, has appealed for the retention of equity and power rotation in the politics of state.
He canvassed that new seeds of politics of mutual respect between contestants, the sanctity of human life, integrity in public service, regard for hard work and meritocracy should be sown in the same way as the rotation of key political offices.
Dagogo-Jack made the plea in a statement he issued in his capacity as the Grand Patron of Rivers Peace Restoration Agenda.
“I appeal to our youths to firmly resist any attempt by politicians to recruit them as bandits, to reject being armed with illegally procured sophisticated weapons for the purpose of interfering with the peaceful conduct of the elections and forcefully subverting the right of the people to express their choice at the ballot box,” he said.
“It is my fervent belief that no person, no matter how powerful or desperately ambitious, should be allowed to subvert the freewill and choice of the electorate.”
He urged a shift from violent and cult-dominated politics to an issue-based, peaceful, and voter-dependent politics conducted with transparency.
He warned that the dream of a united, prosperous and viable Rivers by “our forefathers who toiled and died to secure the creation of the state may never materialise in our lifetime” if politicians fail to play by the rule.
“The time to turn a new page in the politics of Rivers State has come; all hands must be on deck to realise this. We do not need any more heat and crisis in our politics; rather we need more light and peace.”
Dagogo-Jack implored the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at all levels to desist from conduct that may undermine the credibility of election results or tamper with the sanctity of the people’s franchise.
He reminded the security agencies that they owe their allegiance not to individual interests but to God and the Nigerian state, tasking them to discharge their constitutional duties without fear and favour.
“I urge us all to use this once in a life time opportunity to change the course of our politics which bears directly on our development for the better so that all our people – youths, elders, the less privileged, our rural poor and generations yet unborn – can begin to enjoy the benefits of a state so richly blessed as ours.”
He insisted that no person, no matter how highly placed, powerful or desperately ambitious, should be allowed to use violence or any other means to subvert the freewill and choice of the electorate.