Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concern about the growing spate of violence in Bayelsa State amid killings Nembe local government area in the build-up to the November 11 governorship election in the state.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Douye Diri is seeking a second term as governor of the oil-rich South-South state.
He is being challenged by Chief Timipre Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At a media briefing on Tuesday, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba raised the alarm over armed attacks targeted at its supporters and residents of Opu-Nembe Community by uniformed thugs suspected to be sponsored by the APC.
Reacting to the killings, Jonathan, who hails from Bayelsa, expressed concern.
He said such acts of violence should not be entertained in the nation’s polity.
“I condemn all forms of violence and urge community leaders and all leaders of thought to seek to promote peace in our dear state.
“It is sad that this is happening few months to the scheduled November Bayelsa governorship elections. For our democracy to grow on a sustainable basis, politicians should pursue their ambitions with utmost sense of patriotism and without jeopardizing our collective peace and unity.
“In politicking, we should, at all times, be prepared to accommodate diverse opinions, embrace peacebuilding values, espouse people-oriented agenda, while security forces policing the electioneering should act professionally. This is the way to avoid electoral violence in a society like ours,” the former president said.