“This is the last leg” — Tinubu asks voters to shun violence during supplementary polls

Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, says voters should shun
violence in the supplementary elections billed for Saturday.

Supplementary governorship elections will hold in Adamawa
and Kebbi states, five senatorial districts, and 31 federal and 58 state
assembly constituencies.

In a statement on Thursday, Tinubu, who described the
scheduled supplementary polls as the “last leg of the 2023 general election”,
said the exercise must be brought to a peaceful conclusion.

“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,” he said.

 “We should desist
from acts prejudicial to the conduct of orderly polls or that will threaten the
very existence of the country. It’s only when there is a country that aspirants
to political offices can have seats to contest for and the electorate have
people seeking their votes.

“Like the INEC officers, the candidates and the electorate,
therefore, have a solemn responsibility in this election. 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
holds the country together.

“I must also use this opportunity to enjoin my All
Progressives Congress 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.”

The former governor of Lagos said APC members should vote
for the party to solidify the victory recorded in the earlier polls.

“This will no doubt help in the effective functioning of
government at the federal and state levels for the benefit of our people,” he
said.

“On this note, I wish INEC, all voters in the various
polling units in these elections, the candidates and parties involved a very
successful supplementary poll.”