The Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) has warned Tiv people, particularly the youth, against indulging in anything inimical to the electoral process.
Chief Simon Ajoh, the Mueter Ihyarev, said this during a stakeholders meeting organised by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) on Wednesday in Makurdi.
Ajoh said that the traditional rulers in Tiv land had warned their subjects and other ethnic groups residing in their domains to desist from any form of electoral malpractice be it violence, snatching of electoral materials and the like.
“Any Tiv or resident that indulges in political violence or malpractice will be heavily sanctioned.
“We want the process to be peaceful, free, fair, credible and transparent. We will continue to caution our subjects in this regard.
“We will also render support to the security agencies to enable them to carryout their duties without hitches”, Ajoh said.
Also, the representative of the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Fred Ameh, assured the public of a violence-free election.
He noted that the force had put adequate measures in place to tackle any form of criminality before, during and after the elections.
Similarly, the representative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, ACC Yunusa Amodu, advised those intending to foment trouble during the elections to drop the idea because adequate plans were made to handle any criminal act.
The state Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Akpen Leva, said that the church had begun to sensitise members against indulging in unwholesome acts before, during and after elections long time ago.
Leva said that the church further advised politicians against campaigning on religious leanings, stating that if that was allowed to happen the country would be torn apart.
The Secretary, Jaa matu Nasil Islam, Malam Ahmad Baba, noted that they were educating their people on orderliness during the elections.
The State’s Chairperson, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Betty Tsughum, also said that the women were doing a lot behind the scene to ensure that the forthcoming elections were peaceful.
The representative of the youth, Emmanuella Ikyomun, assured the public that they would not avail themselves to be used negatively by politicians, especially during the electioneering period