Nigeria: Soyinka, Utomi Condemn Rising Violence

This Day

28 March 2011

Nigeria: Soyinka, Utomi Condemn Rising Violence

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Sunday condemned the spate of killing in the on-going political campaign rallies of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in the country.

Soyinka spoke at the formal launch of reclaimnaija.net in Festac, Lagos where he urged Nigerian electorate to reject a directive of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafis Ringim, that citizens should not use cell phones and cameras to record and monitor voting processes.

Also at the launch, the Nobel laureate urged the people of Nigeria to disregard politicians and political parties involved in killing, asking rhetorically that "what is the essence of killing ourselves in order to serve ourselves?"

At another fora, the Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), Professor Pat Utomi, also on Sunday condemned the rising wave of political violence in the country, saying the trend portends danger for the Aprill elections.

Utomi also called on President Goodluck Jonathan the presidential candidate of the ruliing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to as a matter of urgency convene a national security council meeting to be attended by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and leaders of the political parties to find solutions to this dangerous political development in the country.