A non-governmental organisation (NGO)”, We The People,” has charged students and youth corps members to avoid being used by politicians as agents of violence and election fraudsters during the 2019 polls in Rivers State.
The executive director of the group, Mr Ken Henshaw made the call during a one-day sensitisation and advocacy workshop organised for students drawn from selected schools and youth corps members serving in the state held at the Adgate Hotels in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
Henshaw disclosed that the essence of the programme was to educate and sensitise them on the dangers and disadvantages of indulging in election violence, as well as obstructing the electioneering processes.
He averred that the students and corps members were selected for the programme because they were the most vulnerable set of people that constitute the foot soldiers of politicians across the country.
According to him, the young people are lured by politicians to cause breach of peace in the society during and after elections, adding that bad governance in any society has been attributed to distorted elections processes.
The executive director of the “We The People” urged the students and corps members to shun any forms of compromise and inducements that would make them be used by bad politicians to scuttle election processes in the state.
“When election processes are distorted, it helps to weaken governance because the leaders that will emerge from such process will not have the interest of the people at heart”, he said.
“When there is poor electoral processes the young ones suffer most. Please do not get involve in election rigging and violence during and after the 2019 general election s”, he stated.