Expressing worries over the trajectory of youths’ involvement in thuggery, Falana said: “Don’t allow politicians to induce you with money. When I was contesting in 2003, I told politicians that if you want the children of the poor to be thugs, let your children lead them.
“What I have seen and felt in Nigeria was that the politicians give thugs money, drugged and armed them. And after the election, they will not be able to fund them and they will become criminals.
“There was a by-election in Omuo-Ekiti to fill a vacancy in the House of Assembly, three people were killed and two policemen injured. Right now, people are being attacked in Ekiti and the same in Osun. But all we demand is credible, free and fair elections.”
The BIGIF and NIGAWD Executive Directors, Oluwatumininu Adedeji and Abimbola Aladejare-Salako respectively, urged INEC and other stakeholders to work hard to prevent rigging, bloodshed and violence in the Ekiti and Osun elections.
They also reiterated that youth and women should be included in the policy-making organs by all political parties to give them recognition.