Message from Godson Okoye Christmas: UDP Presidential Candidate urges Nigerians to embrace peaceful co-existence Christmas: UDP Presidential Candidate urges Nigerians to embrace peaceful co-existence Audio Attached NAN-H-71 Co-existence Abuja, Dec. 24, 2014(NAN) Mr Godson Okoye, the National Chairman and Presidential Candidate of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has appealed to Nigerians to embrace peaceful co-existence throughout the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Okoye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday that Nigerians needed to be careful about accepting gifts from the politicians. He said that development would only take place under peaceful atmosphere. `` We wish all Nigerians merry Christmas. Yes, things are heard but the reason for the celebration is all about peace. ``UDP wishes them peace, happy celebration and prosperous new year as things turn around. ``We believe that 2015 is going to be a better year for Nigerians. We wish them a very beautiful celebration. ``Of course, we also urge them to evaluate carefully because this is time politicians will be moving around from house to house, town to town, local government to local government looking for convert. ``We also advise Nigerians to be careful in accepting free gifts being giving out by politicians. Evaluate them carefully, it is your country, it is your destiny that is at play.’’ The presidential candidate also advised Nigerians to show more interest in the 2015 general elections. ``We also urge politicians to adhere to the political parties’ code of conduct which they signed in 2010. All political parties were signatories to it. ``Nigerians should also take out time to study this piece of document and urge politicians to stick to it so that their campaign will be issue-based and their discussion will be based on principles and then morality will come into it. ``Let us discuss the issues, on how the citizens will get the benefit of democracy, how they will get housing, how transportation will be made easier for them, how Nigerians will access pipe borne water.’’ He, however, condoled with families who were affected or lost their relatives to the recent bomb blasts in Bauchi and Gombe states, saying UDP condemned the action as there is no justification for it. He said violence could never bring about development. ``Development, be it social, economic or political, comes about where there is a conscious effort from the government apparatus interfacing with the private sector and bringing the best of the private sector. ``Once, there is that meeting point development will come but in an atmosphere of violence there is never going to be development.’’ Okoye, who is also the National Publicity Secretary of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), also congratulated political parties for the successful conduct of their primaries. ``We commend political parties in a way that the primaries have come out well. ``Yes, we do not have 100 per cent because it is human activity but we will keep improving.’’(NAN)
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:18:32 +0000