By Peter Duru

MAKURDI—As anxiety mounts across Benue State, ahead of the forthcoming 2015 elections, Governor Gabriel Suswam and Senate Minority Leader and leader of the opposition in the state, Senator George Akume, yesterday, agreed to collaborate to ensure peaceful polls in the state.
They both vowed to resist any attempt to plunge the state into crisis and bloodshed, before, during and after polls.

The leaders spoke yesterday, at the Catholic Prayer Pilgrimage for Peace, held at the Saint John’s Catholic Cathedral, Gboko.

Suswam in his speech said, “I have been contesting elections since 1999, and nobody can associate me with violence because I have continuously eschewed campaign of calumny and name calling.

“As we go about our campaigns and move closer to the elections, I plead with all politicians to desist from using inflammatory languages that could incite the people into violence. It is a duty we owe the state and the people we hope to lead.

“On my part as the Chief Security Officer of Benue State, I assure and guarantee the Benue people that the coming general elections will be conducted in an atmosphere devoid of violence and crisis.

“Since Senator George Akume has also agreed that the opposition would work towards a peaceful process, we will collaborate to ensure that the coming elections would be the most peaceful in the history of our state.”

Earlier, Senator Akume had cautioned that “No gun should be used against a Benue person because of the 2015 elections.

“On our part, we will not instigate any form of crisis or violence, we also insist that there should be a level-playing field and conducive environment that would allow for a peaceful process.

“We are demanding that the elections should be free and fair; lets all test our popularity before the people and not engage in anything that would be a recipe for crisis.”

Speaking on behalf of the Catholic Church and other convening priests, the Bishop of the Gboko Diocese, Rt Rev. William Avenya observed with dismay that elections in the country were usually tainted with malpractices and violence and called for a change of heart among the political class.