The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has called on Charles Soludo, Anambra governor-elect, to do away with his praise-singers and hangers-on and focus on governance.

They asked him to embrace and appreciate his opponents in the November 6 governorship poll.

“Soludo should embark on peace-building and healing processes by reconciling all citizens irrespective of political affiliations,” the CLO chairman in Anambra, Vincent Ezekwueme, said.

Mr Ezekwueme spoke shortly after the declaration of Mr Soludo as the winner of the poll by INEC in Awka on Wednesday.

The CLO boss also advised the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to be run as an all-inclusive administration to deepen democracy.

Mr Ezekwueme thanked God for the election’s success that reflected the electorate’s aspirations despite difficulties and some shortcomings.

“Soludo should spare no effort to ensure sustainable peace and discard services of sycophants, praise-singers and hangers-on who would want to sow seeds of discord for their selfish gains to the detriment of the state and democracy,” Mr Ezekwueme. “He should admonish his supporters not to cast aspersions on defeated candidates and their political parties to douse tension in the state.”

The CLO chief added, “Soludo’s supporters should give other contestants/candidates at the poll respect and a sense of belonging because losers today may be winners tomorrow. He should extend the hand of friendship and fellowship to other contestants, which is the beauty of democracy.”

Mr Ezekwueme added that it would be an act of patriotism for contestants in the poll to display political intelligence in words and actions by accepting the election’s outcome and congratulating the winner.

“We implore the contestants, most importantly, not to engage in unnecessary litigation over the poll,” he added. 

(NAN)