Date: 2014-07-31

Chairman, Kwara State South Committee on Voters' Sensitisation, Mr. Demola Banu, has said lack of credible election could worsen security challenges in some states in Nigeria.

He appealed to politicians not to regard winning elections as a 'do-or-die' affair.

He noted that a credible election was imperative for peace, stability and development of Nigeria, adding that it would be in the interest of all Nigerians to ensure transparent, free and fair elections.

He urged the Federal Government, political parties and all stakeholders to support the Independent National Electoral Commission to deliver credible results in the forthcoming elections.

Banu, who is also the state's Commissioner for Finance, spoke in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Ilorin on Wednesday on the sidelines of the committee's town hall meetings to sensitise voters in Kwara South on the ongoing INEC's permanent voters' cards issuance and the forthcoming continuous voter registration exercise.

According to him, the voters' sensitisation was one of the ways the State Government was supporting INEC to deliver credible elections.

He urged the registered residents to collect their cards, and appealed to unregistered eligible voters to register during the forthcoming INEC's continuous voters registration exercise.

The participants at the town hall summit included market men and women, youth associations, artisans, students, transporters, farmers, community development associations, non political stakeholders, non indigenes, members of the National Council of Women Societies, Christians and muslims and their clerics as well as members of the National Union of Local Government Employees.

Some of the participants commended the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, for what they called his government's sterling achievements in infrastructure provision and human capital development in spite of the limited resources of the government. They also canvassed the continuation of Ahmed for second term.

Banu advised against any act that could retard Nigeria's development.

Banu said, "It is in the collective interest of the Federal Government, political parties and all stakeholders to support INEC to give credible election because if we do not have credible election, there would not be credible leadership. If there is no credible leadership, probably there would not be peace."