MAKURDI – Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue on Friday warned political stakeholders in the state not to [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]take his administration’s tolerance of criticism as weakness.
Speaking at a Stakeholders’ Forum organised by Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) in Makurdi, he said that his administration had been accommodating criticisms for the sake of having credible elections in the state
Represented by his deputy, Chief Steve Lawani, the governor said that such tolerance of criticisms [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”8″]
should, however, not be taken for granted.
He urged BSIEC to ensure that it conducted free, fair and peaceful councils polls scheduled for April, 2015 in the state.
“My administration attaches a lot of importance to free, fair and credible elections; this singular act is aimed at enthroning democracy as well as good governance,“ he said.
Suswan urged all political actors in the state to ensure that they conducted their activities according to the rules, stressing that the peace in the state would not be sacrificed because of elections.
He expressed displeasure over derogatory remarks being made by politicians in their campaigns and warned them to desist from it.
Earlier, Chairman of BSIEC, Prof. Philip Ahire, said that the forum was organised by the commission to seek partnership with relevant agencies, groups and other stakeholders in the state towards the councils’ elections.
Ahire said that the commission alone could conduct credible elections and needed the cooperation of all stakeholders to achieve the target.
“The commission cannot do all by itself; stakeholders must play vital roles for the conduct of credible elections.
‘’We have to work together in order to have a free, fair and peaceful elections in April,“ he said.
He advised political parties to be strictly guided by the elections guidelines, saying that violators would be sanctioned. (NAN)