2023 election: Forum appeals to FG, State Govts to deploy adequate security
Agency report
The Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF) has appealed to the Federal government and States Governors to ensure the deployment of adequate security agents across the country, especially in Yorubaland ahead of 2023 general elections.
Mr Adeshina Animashaun, National Co-ordinator, of the YAF made the appeal in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
He said the appeal had become necessary following the forum’s findings that some disgruntled persons plan to cause violence and chaos in the South-West and other parts of the country during the coming elections.
He said their ultimate objective was to truncate the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
He said there was therefore need to further tighten the security in the country to forestall any plan by any group or individuals to instigate violence and cause chaos before, during and after the 2023 elections.
According to Animashaun, some disgruntled persons in the South-West and their allies in other parts of the country and outside, had been engaging in “clandestine activities”.
He said their aim was to cause violence and spark off mayhem that would undermine the electoral process and ultimately truncate the electoral process in 2023.
He added that the violence had been planned to start in the South-West to spread to the North by the Northern collaborators of the planners.
Animashaun said the aggrieved masterminds of the violence were planning to secure the services of some associations to instigate violence and cause chaos across the country.
“Their evil calculation is to take control of the country’s political space and the electoral processes, which they believe they are being denied now.
“This grand conspiracy to cause violence and mayhem across the country by these prominent personalities is, of course, being fine tuned by some prominent Nigerians and others pretending to be taking refuge in neighbouring countries.
“The initial plan of these aggrieved persons was to use the issue of a certain Yoruba nation activist to arm twist government into calling for a negotiation over the issue so they could make some political gains,” he said.
Animashaun further appealed that security agencies should not relent in beefing up security across the South-West and the rest of the country.
This, he said, was critical to avert the violence and chaos being planned by the unpatriotic citizens that were bent on truncating the 2023 polls.
He, however warned that the forum would not hesitate to mobilise its members across yorubaland to confront those planning another wave of violence in any part of the country, especially the South-West, under any guise.
“YAF will no longer fold its hands and allow unpatriotic elements and their collaborators to further destroy the economic and social well-being of our people in the name of partisan politics.
“We can no longer afford to lose more to the unpatriotic and evil activities of sponsored hoodlums masquerading as political thugs,” he said.
He added that the forum was fully prepared to resist the masterminds of any renewed form of violence anywhere in the country and the entire yorubaland with whatever it would take.
The YAF Natioal Co-ordinator warned the planners of the aledged violence and chaos to caution themselves and shelve their evil plans in the interest of the country.
“If they refuse to take this our modest advice to desist from their devilish plans and activities, YAF will expose them by revealing their identities, and they should be prepared to face sanctions and consequences,” he said.
He particularly advised yoruba and Nigerian youths to maintain peace and eschew violence, urging the people of the South-West and Nigerians generally not to allow themselves to be deceived by anyone to engage in violence.