Guber elections: Jonathan raises alarm over thuggery, killings

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described as disturbing signals the political thuggery and killings ahead of Saturday’s governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States

He decried that political thugs had started violent acts and people were being killed even when the voting process had not started.

One person was reportedly killed during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally in Bayelsa State on Wednesday.

One person was also killed in Kogi State in October when hoodlums attacked the PDP governorship candidate, Musa Wada’s convoy at Anyigba.

Jonathan, who spoke on Thursday in Port Harcourt at the presentation of a book authored by a former deputy governor of Rivers State, Sir Gabriel Toby and titled: “In the Cause of Service: Memoir of Gabriel Tamunobiebere George Toby” condemned violent acts ahead of the polls.

He, however, said that such things would not happen had the country got to a point where voter card matters.

He said: “Look at what is happening now; we have governorship elections in two states in Kogi and Bayelsa. The signals coming from both are quite disturbing.

“The use of thugs, shooting guns and our people are already being killed when the voting process has not even started is disturbing. This would not happen if we have got to a point in this country where voter card matters.

“That is why I have always advocated electronic voting. We must go into electronic voting. If people these days can transfer billions of dollars from one bank to the other, using electronic means, then I believe that we can do electronic voting perfectly and that will ensure that the use of thugs during elections would not come up again.”