President Goodluck Jonathan says some desperate politicians have violated the Abuja peace accord by hiring and brainwashing young people to perpetrate violence in the country.
Jonathan recalled his experience in Katsina State when his convoy was stoned by some hoodlums on his reelection campaign to the state, and lamented that most of the hoodlums are underaged people who are ignorant of the offense.
He said this on Thursday morning in an interview with the Africa Independent Television, AIT. The President reinstated that there is no need for violence in political struggle. Discarding fears that there maybe violence during and after the elections, Jonathan advised Nigerians to remain where they registered to vote.
The Abuja peace accord was signed by presidential candidates and leaders of the various political parties in the run up to this year’s general election with a pledge to ensure a violence-free election period.
Jonathan admitted the strength of the major opposition, All progressives Congress, APC but stated that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP “Still has an edge over and above other political parties, including the APC.”
Jonathan said PDP elements form a major chunk of the opposition, APC. “If you remove the PDP elements from the opposition, it will collapse.” He said that he’s not worried by the strength of the APC.
The president said while it is natural for some people to criticise his administration for not fulfilling all its campaign promises before the expiration of his first tenure, he is confident that PDP will carry the day after the elections based on its presence “in every poling unit in this country,” he said.
Talking about the ‘live in Kaduna, work in Abuja’ rail project, the president said, “I am hopeful of riding a train from Abuja to Kaduna and back in Abuja before May 29, this year.”
Admitting that the public has not been carried along in the past 4 years of his administration, Jonathan promised to expose government programs and activities to the public so that the public can also make contributions in the running of the country.
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