Jonathan confident guber, assembly polls will be peaceful

President Goodluck Jonathan has ex­pressed confidence that the governorship and state assembly elections holding on Saturday will also be conducted peacefully like the Presidential and National Assembly polls.

He stated this in his Eas­ter message to Nigerians as Christians commemorate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

He said this year’s Easter’s celebration coinciding with a period of very critical national choices and decisions, was an indication that Nigerians must be prepared and willing to make sacrifices for greater unity, peace, political stability and progress in the country.

Jonathan urged Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the Easter holiday to reflect deeply on what more needs to be done as a people, to ensure that the ongoing political process in the country is not only success­fully concluded but that Ni­geria would continue to move towards a better future for all of its citizens.

His words: “For Christians all over the world, the major lessons of Easter, which we are celebrating this year in the midst of general elections in our nation, are to be found in the Messiah’s Divine love and glorious self-sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. This year’s celebration of Easter is taking place at a period of very critical national choices and decisions, during which we must all be prepared and willing to make sacrifices for greater unity, peace, political stability and progress in our beloved country.

“Happily, we have already successfully scaled the hurdle of the Presidential and Nation­al Assembly elections. I am quite hopeful that the guberna­torial and State Assembly elec­tions will also be conducted peacefully. To the glory and pride of our fatherland, our collective actions since March 28 have assured the world that the democratic spirit is alive and well in our nation. By the grace of God, our beloved nation, Nigeria is moving for­ward despite all challenges.”

He prayed that God Al­mighty would continue to bless the country as it marches onward towards the fulfillment of the collective vision of a truly united, strong and pros­perous nation.