*Says 1,000 Forest Guards undergoing training
Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that the 2027 general elections will be peaceful amid growing concerns over electoral violence in some parts of the country.
Tinubu, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), gave the assurance on Saturday while speaking at the North-Central presidential campaign rally in Jos, Plateau State, where he urged voters to exercise their franchise using their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
“That’s your weapon to prosperity; that’s your roadmap. Use it effectively well. Use it to vote APC,” he said.
“Don’t worry about vagabonds. Don’t worry about purveyors of violence. We will take care of you. There will be peaceful elections. Go out and vote; vote for the candidates of the APC.”
Recalling his previous visit to Plateau State to meet victims of attacks, the President appealed to families affected by the deadly attacks in Anguwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area, which left many people dead and several others injured, to forgive him for not visiting their communities.
“When I last visited the other time, I was limited to the airport. Forgive me if you didn’t see me in the hinterland. But I saw the devastation; I got the report from the governor. I saw horror in the faces of our people.
“But since then, that has changed; we are forging together,” he said.
Tinubu assured residents that their communities would be rebuilt to enable displaced persons to return to their homes.
He noted that too many lives had been lost to attacks in Plateau State since 2001 and condoled with families who had lost loved ones in the recurring violence.
Calling for unity among residents, the President said speaking different languages should not be a reason for division.
“I have directed all the security agencies to take decisive action and sustain peace and stability on the Plateau.
“What we should be getting is prosperity, not havoc, not crisis. Our government is not elected to inflict wounds on one another or to bury people. We have to lift people up from penury to prosperity.
“One thousand forest guards are undergoing training right now. You will feel them; you will see them. You will feel secure in your villages and communities,” he added.
The President also disclosed that surveillance cameras had been procured as promised, assuring residents that his administration was working to ease their suffering.
Tinubu’s comments came 24 hours after he directed security agencies to confront political thuggery and other anti-democratic activities with full force.
He warned that his administration would not tolerate violence as political campaigns gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The President, in a statement he personally signed on Friday, condemned attacks recorded at political events in different parts of the country and called on politicians and their supporters to shun violence.
He also said he had been following reports of violent incidents across the country, insisting that political campaigns should focus on issues and competing ideas that promote public welfare and national development.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
