NHRC Warns Presidential Candidates And Politicians Against Hate Speeches Capable Of Inciting Violence.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday charged the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr Goodluck Jonathan and the All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), to refrain from making statements capable of inciting their followers to violence.
The commission expressed alarm over the increasing rate of hate speeches that have characterized the electioneering campaigns and political commentaries in the country ahead of the February general elections in the country.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the commission, Dr Chidi Odinkalu made the call at a Media Roundtable to stop the use of hate speech during campaign.

He warned that except leaders of political parties and candidates made deliberate efforts to call their followers to order, violence may be inevitable after the election.

His words "We are going into election. We are not going for war. And we must prove that we can do this and come out as a better and stronger as a nation."

He urged Nigerians to respect the choices of others in the events leading to the 2015 polls.

Odinkalu pointed out that Nigeria had already lost too many lives to insurgency and could not afford to lose any of its citizens to post election violence.

He said the media were critical in ensuring that hate speech were not published. He therefore called on media practitioners to come forth with ideas on how to stop publication of hate speech.

Odinkalu also urged the Nigerian media to renew it's commitment to its social responsibility by ensuring that it refuses to publish or broadcast any statement that has any semblance of the hate speech.

He said that it was a violation of section 95 (2) of the Electoral Act for anyone to use the pulpilt to preach in support of a political party or a candidate.

In this wise, Odinkalu said that the statements made by Reverend Father Francis Mbaka when the First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan visited her and when he castigated the president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
Odinkalu also castigated the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose for the advertorial on Buhari and other past heads of state from the north.

In his view, the advert was capable of inciting violence by a section of the country even as he said that such conduct was unbecoming of a governor.