BY DAPO AKINREFON

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador James Entwistle has tasked leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State on the need to ensure violence free elections in the state.

Entwistle said this yesterday in Lagos at a meeting which held at the campaign office of PDP governorship candidate, Mr Jimi Agbaje, with Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and other party chieftains in attendance.

In his remarks, the US envoy said that political parties should ask their supporters to eschew violence before, during and after the polls.

Entwistle, who was accompanied by the US Consul General, Jeff Hawkins, Erica Chinsao, Political Officer, USA Consulate and Mr Tom Hines, the US Political Chief in Nigeria, advised the party leaders to also ensure that their agents were in all the polling units to forestall rigging

Advising the leaders to focus on issue based campaigns that would in turn provide a sustainable system for all sectors in Nigeria,Entwistle said that the Embassy had been encouraging INEC to come up with a creative solution to the agitations over the conduct of the February polls.

According to him, “there is also need for voting areas to have privacy during the elections”.

In his speech, Agbaje alleged that there was deliberate attempt by the opposition  to hire people to remove  posters of PDP candidates which might make others want to retaliate.