A senior official of the Nigerian government on Monday expressed concerns over possible electoral violence in the upcoming polls.
Speaking at the launching of the nationwide sensitization to peaceful election in Abuja, Garba Abari, the director general of National Orientation Agency (NOA), said reports from its field officers across the country indicated possible flash points in some states.
He told his audience that election periods were often characterized by great anxiety usually heightened by reckless utterances and action of some politicians.
He called for a reversal of such menace, stressing that such must be addressed in the face of instances of pre-election violence that had been witnessed in some parts of the country.
Nigeria’s electoral body has promised it is ready for the conduct of free, fair and credible polls.
A total of 22,643 political candidates, representing 91 political parties, will contest for 1,504 positions during the general elections next month.
Out of that figure are 73 presidential hopefuls and 1,158 seeking governorship positions in 29 states.
The electoral body earlier confirmed 1,886 candidates have been greenlighted to contest in the 109 senatorial districts across the country and 4,634 candidates contesting for the 306 House of Representatives seats.
Another 14,643 candidates would contest for 991 posts in the various state houses of assembly.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, will hold the general elections on Feb. 16 to elect the president and national assembly members, and March 2 to elect state governors and state houses of assembly members. Enditem
