SOME Nollywood stars under the aegis of National Orientation For Being A Good African (NO BAGA) Saturday evening stormed Jos, the Plateau State capital, with a message of peaceful election without hate and violence. Held at the General Hassan Katsina Polo Ground, Joy, the event also had in attendance artistes from the state.
In his remark, the coordinator of the group, Kanayo O. Kanayo said their mission in Jos was to bring a message of love to the people of the state. He noted that if the people of the state decide to make troubles during the polls, there would be no peace in the whole of Nigeria.
“So, we need one another; that’s why we have come with the message of peace. We have observed with keen interest too that Nigeria is driving towards a dangerous bend. And that dangerous bend will affect all of us if there is a skip off the road. It looks like drums of war are being beaten and we are asking those who are beating these drums of war to stop fanning the embers of disunity.
“That is the message we preach that election is not war. Election should not be war; it should be a process of change, a process of continuity. We want Nigeria to remain what it is. All the presidential candidates are Nigerians; all the governorship aspirants and candidates are Nigerians. Soldiers come, soldiers go, but the barracks remain. So, we want to drive a message through this NO BAGA that we need Nigeria where our children will not be displaced persons, where our children will be happy, where our children will look forward to a better tomorrow, where candidates will come out and tell us about policies rather than hate, and that is the message we have brought to Jos today,” Kanayo stated.
On the shift in the dates of elections, Kanayo pointed out that the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC), as an independent body, has the exclusive power to reschedule elections, as it deems necessary.
“We have to know that we have the Independent National Electoral Commission vested with the sole power in conducting elections. So, INEC says it is not conducive to conduct elections on February 14 and that is it. We should not play politics with that.”
The Nollywood actor explained that NO BAGA is not a political platform to favour any candidate as it is going from state to state to preach love.
Another Nollywood star, Patience Ozokwor popularly known as Mama G, said she was in Jos to propagate peace, adding that she wants people to know that they don’t have two countries. The notable actress noted that for the country to move forward, all the citizens must join hands to make it so.
Ozokwor urged Nigerians not sell their birth right, adding that they are going round to enlighten the people about the permanent voters’ cards and the need to vote.
“This is an avenue to reach out to them; we can reach out to them one on one.
They will see our faces; it is not a recorded thing. Our mission is to tell them that they are meant to vote and not to fight. You can vote for anybody you like; I have the right to vote for whoever I like. You will not kill me because I did not vote for whom you voted for. So, the reason of voting is to select who you think is the best without fight.”
On his part, Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as Aki informed that he was in Jos for peace.
“You will find out that this period is a very hectic one. If you look at the social media, you will find out that the messages there are very inciting and this is not the best time to do that. Election should be a subtle thing. Other countries are doing it. Watch America, Ghana and so on transiting from one administration to another; I don’t know why things are different in Nigeria.
“That is why we are preaching to Nigerians that they should just go on each day of election to just vote for the candidates of their choice. Their tomorrow is in their hands. Any mistake you make today will of course affect our tomorrow. We should love one another. If you destroy this country, where will you run? We don’t have any other country,” he said.
