By Haruna Usman, Birnin Kebbi
Worried by escalating trends of hate speech and political thuggery in Kebbi state, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Tuesday held an interactive session to chart way out of rising political tension in the state.
Speaking at the all-important roundtable comprising representatives of all political parties in the state, the state chairman of IPAC, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed who hosted NOA described the engagement as critical, giving the political situations in the state which is gradually threatening prevailing peace.
He stressed that parties in Kebbi state have a huge role to play in ensuring enduring peace by sensitizing their followers on the dangers of hate speech and political thuggery.
“We are all living witnesses that Kebbi politics has always been clean without chaos or bloodbath, but now tensions are high due to needles actions of some overzealous party supporters”.
Muhammed maintained that praise-singers from parties are fueling hate speech when they supposed to promote peace saying democracy has come to stay therefore must be guarded by all possible means.
In his speech, the Kebbi state director, National Orientation Agency, Alhaji Nasir Karofi appealed to the representatives of political parties to halt the spread of hate speech and political thuggery in the state.
Karofi revealed that politics without bitterness is known in Kebbi state, but the situation is about to degenerate into something unusual due to unsavoury behaviour of some party supporters who secretly sponsor political singers or party thugs to promote hate-speech.