The Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in Nigeria, Chief Victor Umeh today drew a well sharpened machete in an APGA rally where they endorsed the Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as their presidential candidate for the 2015 election.
Chief Victor Umeh said during the rally that the party will do everything within her power to support and ensure that the President is reelected. He drew out a sharpened machete while standing on a podium in front of a mammoth crowed of over 10,000 people - including women, youths and children, to say that the machete will be used to cut down any opposition to their ambition.
Nigeria's election in 2011 was featured with post-election violence that claimed a lot of lives especially in Northern Nigerian because some people felt enraged and dissatisfied when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was announced the winner of the election. So far, organizations, both private, public and civil societies are working hard to ensure a violence-free elections in 2015. It is deeply sad to see a man who calls himself the national leader of a political party descending to the level of expressing himself barbarically in the public. Chief Victor Umeh's action was seen by thousands of youths, including those prone to violence and manipulation by political stakeholders. His action is sure to influence these youths to prepare for war during elections and see it as an opportunity to kill and cause trouble in the country.
Nigeria has been facing security challenges, especially in the North. While the government and Civil Society Organizations are working to ensure a violence free election, it is right that we as Nigerians condemn the action of the APGA National Chairman as barbaric and as an act of terror that is likely to incite the youths to violence. It is right that the Nigerian security agencies should invite Chief Victor Umeh for questioning and investigation. It is right that Nigerians demand that Chief Umeh retract his statement and apologize to Nigerians in various media channels.
I hereby call on Nigerians to campaign against this action of Victor Umeh and get him to retract his statement. We can do this through various means but if you want to post and join the interactions on Twitter and Facebook, please use the hash-tag #VictorUmehMachete. It is important that we get our public figures to know that we will no longer continue to keep silent while they initiate acts that will mar our future.
President Goodluck Jonathan should also call him to order and disassociate himself from this statement and stand of the All Progressive Grand Alliance otherwise we will see it as his own stand and position too - to win election by all means including with a machete.
Enough is enough!
ELECTION NO BE WAR!
Culled from: obinnaudenwe.blogspot.com
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