Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan shared his concerns ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Jonathan spoke during the commissioning of the 1.15 km of Afi Uko Nteghe Uda bridge, located in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Monday, January 16th. He expressed concern about the potential negative energy generated ahead the 2023 elections.

The former President who encouraged politicians to promote their politics with ideas rather than fighting, insulting, and abusing their opponents, also stated that politics of bitterness is a barrier to development.

He said;

“I’m a bit worried by the negative energy generated ahead of the 2023 elections. We have noticed a level of bitterness in our politics that does not bring development and I plead with politicians that marketing is about marketing your ideas. Politics is not about fighting, is not insulting, is not about abusing.

“We have been reading in the newspapers and social media of how billboards of Presidential candidates, governorship candidates are pulled down and I believe by hoodlums, but sometimes, they say some governments even support those kind of things.

“If you are a part of the team doing that, then know that you are among the unfortunate miscreants, virus or pathogen that is really decomposing our democracy. Please stop doing that; but in all these, I believe the security services have a lot to do.

“I believe anybody who commits a crime should not be covered under politics. Arson is arson and is never status bound, so somebody who commits a crime, burn houses, kill people, the record must be kept, and whatever the investigation is completed, such people should be prosecuted; that is the only way people would stop doing this.

“But if people commit criminal offences and walk away, then, of course, other people would be encouraged to do same. So security services in Nigeria have a lot to do, they must not spare any criminal.”