Sodiq Adekunle, Osogbo
Secretary of Nigeria Bar Association, Ilesha? branch, Osun State,?Olayinka Sokoya and?Minority Leader of ?the state Youth Parliament?,?Temitope Sally,? have frowned at the increasing rate of political violence in Osun.
While speaking in exclusive interviews, they condemned the heightened political tension in the state and ?vandalism of?bill boards, posters and cars of political candidates ahead of the forth-coming election.
According to Sokoya, ? political parties have failed to realise that elections are not won by vandalism.
The lawyer urged politicians to warn their supporters, noting that Nigerians would not vote for anyone that engages in criminal acts.
He said, “It is not only morally wrong, it is a criminal act and if anybody is caught doing that ?should face the wrath of our law. The political gladiators should talk to their followers. Elections are not won through vandalism nor destroying of one another’s posters and bill boards.?
“Nigerians are wiser now, they want to know what you have in stock for them. They want to know your manifesto. They want to see whether you have any generous idea that will take Nigeria to a place of eldorado, not by destroying posters.”
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Sokoya described the act as being barbaric and also urged politicians to be tolerant.
He said, “Destroying of posters is not only babaric but highly condemnable considering the fact that our democracy has grown a little bit. ?By now, the expectation is that there should be political tolerance among all political parties that are involved.?
“Violence and unleashing attacks on opposition will not help us at all and it subjects our democracy to serious danger. I want to believe that everything lies in the hands of the political party and they should be able to warn their supporters to ensure that such thing becomes a thing of the past.”
On her part, Sally appealed to politicians not to expose youths to social vices, warning them?to desist from vandalism and attack on each other.
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She said, “?Many youths in Osun are will educated and we won’t ordinarily involve themselves in political violence. ? Politicians should realise that the??future of the youth lies in our hands. If they cannot desist from using the youths for violence, who do they want to leave the future they are building for?”
