Former Rivers State governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, has criticized plans to conduct local government elections in the state despite the ongoing state of emergency.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Cole said holding elections under such conditions is both inappropriate and damaging to Nigeria’s democratic image.
He argued that once democratic institutions in the state had been suspended and a sole administrator installed, it was wrong to go ahead with polls.
“I personally feel that having that election in the time of a state of emergency, under a Sole Administrator, just says everything wrong about democracy. If you have suspended all the democratic institutions, then let’s acknowledge that instead of pretending,” Cole stated.
Cole further alleged that the planned local government elections appear to be politically motivated, aimed at capturing control of local government structures. He warned that such actions could set a dangerous precedent for democracy in Nigeria.
“This whole exercise sends the wrong signal. If we want to practice democracy, let’s do it properly, not with impunity where anything goes,” he added.
