Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged all the presidential candidates that emerged in recently held party primaries to run campaigns free of bitterness and divisiveness.
He did this via a congratulatory statement released Thursday by his Media Aide, Ikechukwu Eze.
He felicitated Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress for emerging as their parties’ presidential flag bearers.
He also congratulated Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ibrahim Malik-Addo of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Dan Nwanyanwu of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dumebi Kachikwu of African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The former president also urged the aspiring presidents to run issues-based campaigns.
“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.
“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,” President Jonathan said.
He charged all citizens to be patriotic when they go to the polls and advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to abide by electoral laws.
