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2023: Jonathan counsels Tinubu, Atiku, other presidential candidates

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has implored Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to avoid violence ahead of the 2023 elections.

Jonathan, in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Ikechukwu Eze, on Thursday in Abuja, also congratulated presidential flagbearers of other political parties that emerged from the just concluded primaries elections of various parties.

These according to Jonathan include Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Malik Ado-Ibrahim of Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Others are Chief Dan Nwanyanwu of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dumebi Kachikwu of African Democratic Congress (ADC) as well as Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He implored the candidates to run a campaign devoid of rancor and divisiveness by ensuring that issues confronting Nigeria and credible solutions take the centre stage in their electioneering campaigns.

The former President also cautioned against violent utterances which might inflame the polity, leading to bloodletting.

Jonathan said that their emergence as the flagbearers of their parties after submitting themselves to a rigorous selection and election processes demonstrated their beliefs and interests in the progress of the nation.

“I consider you are all aspiring to be elected as the leader of the country because you are democrats who believe, like the rest of us, that Nigeria is our common heritage which we should all strive to protect, prosper and preserve for the future generation.

“As you progress towards the electioneering campaigns, it is important that the issues confronting the country and credible solutions take centre stage.

Read also: OPINION…Jonathan: Time for Buhari to prove them wrong

“I urge you to conduct your campaigns in a manner devoid of acrimony, divisiveness and treachery so that at the end of the day Nigeria will win, democracy will triumph and humanity will be better for it.

“As I have always said, no ambition is worth the life of another. As candidates, you must eschew violence and acts that will encourage any form of bloodletting or exacerbate the national fault lines.

“We live in a season of unprecedented violence and all political leaders have a responsibility to de-escalate the tension in the country. The candidates by conduct and language must prioritise non-violence and peaceful coexistence,” Jonathan said.

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