Civil engagement will reduce electoral tension’
The Director General, Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Mr. Joseph Lengmang, has said continuous engagement with the civil society will play a key role in reducing electoral violence especially in the coming governorship election scheduled to hold on Saturday, March 9th.
Lengmang said election is major conflict trigger hence the need to intensify effort to sensitize the public to avoid issues that could lead to violence especially after the elections.
Speaking at a one day summit on the theme Strengthening Election Security Management To Promote Peaceful Elections And Transition In Plateau, the DG emphasised that workshop was a conspicuous demonstration of the state government’s commitment to ensure security of lives and property in the state, adding that the stakeholder were drawn from Jos, owing to the ugly trend experienced in the locality during the 2008 and 2011 post election violence.
He said that participants were carefully selected for the meeting, to ensure infractions and tendencies of peace being breached during the forthcoming polls, saying that the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Feb. 23 on the Plateau was relatively peaceful, except for some skirmishes in Jos North.
“The government of Plateau is committed to ensuring the safety of lives and property, hence this forum is a demonstration of such commitment.
“We are all witnesses to the post election violence of 2008 and 2011, and because we don’t want a repeat of such ugly trend, what we are doing here today becomes imperative.
“We are here to underscore our general determination as a state to ensure that the forthcoming governorship poll is conducted peacefully”, Lengmang said.
