By Etop Ekanem
As preparations for the 2019 general elections heighten, traditional rulers from South-South and South-East of Nigeria have deemed it fit to draw a road map for elections that would be free, fair and violence free. Most importantly their concerns are for the safety and security of lives of members of their communities during the forthcoming election.
At the meeting of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, NCTRN, South-South and South-East chapter, in Benin City, Edo State, the monarchs arrived at a common ground that “if our local community is saved, the the whole Nigeria is saved.”
Chairman of the Second Consultation meeting of the southern monarchs, HRH Edmund Daukoru, the Mingi XII Amanayanabo of Nember Kingdom, said the meeting was convened to consider the security situation in the country.
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“Elections exaggerate already exiting problems and tensions in our community, so we have to address those flsh points and those cannot be immediately solved, at least stakeholders must have an understanding. And from the screening to primaries to the actual campaign strings and then the election day itself, we should ensure that we have secured places in our communities where voting materials and ballot boxes can be stored, and again, we should consider the means of the day, ” he added.
Chief Sponsor of event, HRH Appolus Chu, the Ebere Emere Okori, Eleme of Eleme Kingdom, Rivers State said: “For today’s consultation, the main issue will be looking at ways of ensuring a violence-free 2019 general elections. Aside that, we are going to look at other areas of common interest and grounds where the traditional rulers from the Southern part of Nigeria would come together and rub minds.
“We have touched the area of violence free election which is the theme of this meeting and we have touched other areas of collaborations amongst our various communities.”
The whole essence is to ensure that traditional rulers rise up to their responsivities to ensure that things go the right way during the forthcoming general elections”, Chu said.
the meeting was a platform where the traditional rulers from the South-South and South-East parts of Nigeria will come together and speak with one voice on the policies that would be made in the interest of the nation.