Coalition of Elders for Peace and Good Governance in Bauchi state have appealed to citizens of the state to accept whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court’s verdict of the state’s March 9 governorship election in good faith.
A statement signed by Sarkin Arewan Bauchi, Alhaji Hassan Sharif, and 20 others, and made available to newsmen in Bauchi on Sunday, said the appeal became imperative in view of the tensed atmosphere in the state as the judgement is about to be passed by the court.
It noted that the state is known for peace and political tolerance since the Second Republic when losers went to court to seek redress, saying the courts’ decisions had never triggered violence or crisis in the state hence the need for the citizens to maintain the tempo.
“As elders, we foresee danger and crises, and we won’t like a situation where the generation of our unborn children suffer because of the inactions of some unscrupulous elements within our midst.
“It is on this basis that we call on the good citizens of Bauchi state to maintain the tempo they are known for by accepting whatever decision the Supreme Court may pass as Bauchi should be our first priority,” the statement added.
Similarly, a Civil Society Organization in the state, Arewa Youth Mobilization and Mass Mobilization for Voting Wisely, has called on politicians and supporters of political parties in the state to avoid overheating the polity ahead of the Supreme Court’s judgement.
Addressing a press conference at NUJ Secretariat in Bauchi, the spokesperson of group, Abdullahi Abdulkadir, urged security operatives in the state to be on alert with a view to forestalling any potential break down of law and order after the judgement.
“We should be very careful and tolerate one another irrespective of political, ethnic or religious divides and remain law-abiding. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. So let us accept whatever decision made by the court in good faith,” Abdulkadir said.
