By Ukpa Ewa
Peace Ambassadors in Anambra State have urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to embrace peace ahead of the November 8 Governorship election.
The call was made on September 20 in Awka during a peace march to commemorate the 2025 United Nations International Day of Peace. The procession, which began at UNIZIK Junction and ended at Alex Ekwueme Square, drew participants from several peace-focused organizations, including the Peace and Positive Living Awareness Center (UN-PEPOLAC), Rotary Clubs, Anambra Peace and Mediation Working Commission and the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Addressing the gathering, the Director of the Institute for Peace and Development, Prof. Chukwuemeka Jaja Nwanegbo, urged residents and political actors to conduct themselves responsibly during campaigns and on election day.
“Anambra is bigger and more important than any political interest. Politicians and their supporters must remember that the state will remain after the election. We must avoid utterances and actions capable of igniting violence, because in the end, no one gains when peace is lost,” he cautioned.
The International President of UN-PEPOLAC Dr. Festus Ozioma Ozoemena explained that the march was organized to send a strong message to both the political class and the public about the centrality of peace in elections.
“As we all know, when peace is not given its place in election processes, what follows are crises and litigations. Campaigns should not be about hate speeches or insults. Elections will come and go, but Anambra will remain. Our politics should be about ideology, problem solving and peace,” he emphasised.
Also speaking, the immediate past National Vice President of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ichie Damian Okeke Ogene, stressed the need for restraint among political actors and their followers. “All of us must refrain from unruly utterances ahead of the election. What has been happening in Anambra in the name of politics is not what the state needs. We are at the stage of issue based politics and problem-solving. Anambra is known for peace and that reputation must be protected,” he noted.
Similarly, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Cornelius Ukwueze, described the peace march as “a wake up call,” urging security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure credible and peaceful polls. He stressed that peaceful coexistence is not only critical for the success of the election but also for the overall development of Anambra State.
Ukpa is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
