The African Union Development Agency/New Partnership for African Development, (AUDA-NEPAD), has urged Nigerians to eschew bitterness and ensure that the forthcoming elections are free from violence.
The organisation gave the advice at a Road Walk organised to sensitise Nigerians on the need for a violence-free election, on Thursday in Abuja.
Director, Planning, Research and Innovation, AUDA-NEPAD, Abdulkaheem Akande, said the sensitisation was geared towards ensuring a peaceful election, devoid of crisis and violence.
Akande, who is also the focal person of the nationwide violence-free election campaign, said that most of the African countries were looking up to Nigeria to get it right in this election.
He said, “The essence of this sensitisation campaign is to give out an early warning to avert a lot of conflicts and crisis that comes with electioneering in Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
“Most importantly, the AU and EU are looking up to Nigeria to get it right because if we get it right, other Africa member states will get it right too”.
“We want Nigerians to know that they do not have to die during elections; and they do not have to take it as a do-or-die affair; one government will come and another will go”, he said.
He also advised Nigerians to choose right, vote rightly for their preferred candidates and resist the temptation of selling their votes.
He also called on successful candidates in the elections to extend a hand of fellowship to their opponents by carrying them along in their administration.
