Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
President-elect, Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians in the areas slated for supplementary election on Saturday to conduct themselves peacefully and eschew violence and any act prejudicial to orderly electoral processes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would conduct supplementary Governorship Elections in Adamawa and Kebbi states, five Senatorial Districts, and 31 Federal and 58 State Assembly constituencies across the federation on Saturday.
Tinubu in a statement he personally signed on Friday said as the last leg of the 2023 general election, everyone must ensure that the electoral processes are brought to a final, peaceful conclusion.
He said: “As the Independent National Electoral Commission holds Supplementary Elections across the country tomorrow, I call on Nigerians in the areas slated for the polls to conduct themselves peacefully and eschew violence and any act prejudicial to orderly electoral processes.
“This supplementary election is as important as the first set of elections, the Presidential and National Assembly poll held on February 25 and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election organised on March 18.
“I urge all Nigerians in areas where the additional polls will take place to eschew violence and conduct themselves in an orderly and peaceful manner.”
Tinubu urged that everyone should desist from acts prejudicial to the conduct of orderly polls or that would threaten the very existence of the country.
He noted that it was only when there is a country that aspirants to political offices could have seats to contest for and the electorate have people seeking their votes.
The president -elect stressed that like the INEC officers, the candidates and the electorate, therefore, have a solemn responsibility in this election, adding that they must ensure that the additional polls are conducted not only freely and fairly, but also devoid of tension, acrimony and violence that will threaten the very fabric that hold the country together.
He also called on All Progressives Congress (APC) members and the teeming supporters in the areas listed for the polls to come out in their large numbers to cast their votes for the party’s candidates.
Tinubu urged party members and supporters to vote overwhelmingly for APC to complement and solidify the victory the party recorded in the earlier polls, saying this would no doubt help in the effective functioning of government at the federal and state levels for the benefit of our people.
