Former President Goodluck Jonathan has asked politicians seeking elective office to run issue-based campaigns.
Speaking at the signing of the peace accord on the 2023 elections by presidential candidates, on Thursday, the former president said ethnic and religious politics portends great danger for the country.
Jonathan said: “We are at a critical stage in our national life where we have no choice but to promote national cohesion, love and hope in order to make the desired progress.”
“We cannot afford to continue to play politics of bitterness and division along ethnic and religious lines. This is because such kind of politics portends great danger to our unity, growth and the sustenance of our democracy.
“We have to be mindful of the destructive impact of hate speech, fake news and mindless propaganda, especially in a clime where the fabric of unity and stability still needs to be strengthened.
“I charge the candidates, their promoters and supporters to exercise restraint and seek to run their campaigns based on issues that affect our people.
“They should, by all means, avoid needless attacks on personalities and use of abusive language for those are the elements that cause chaos and crisis during elections.”
He said citizens must redirect their steps, strive to work harder and do the right things to avoid the stagnation of the nation’s democracy.
Jonathan became president in 2010 after Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died. He was elected president in 2011, but lost reelection in 2015.
