As political parties warm up for campaigns for 2019 general elections, a women political group, United For a New Nigeria Initiative, has called on youths to abhor violence to make the elections credible.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by the group media coordinator, Mr Soji Bamidele the group noted that the youth ought to be responsible and patriotic in all their engagements.

The statement also quoted Ms Juliet Anaeme, the National President of the group as saying that the youth must refrain from hate speech and behaviours that could provoke crises.

“Similarly, politicians should shun violence, desist from engaging the youth as thugs and embrace issue-based campaigns.

“Youths must seek to continue to be good ambassadors of their various communities, avoiding utterances that will bring disunity in the country,’’ Anaeme said.

She also called on women to come out en mass to vote for a candidate that would guarantee a better and new Nigeria during the elections.

She advised community, religious and traditional leaders to start sensitising their communities to the need to make the elections credible, free and fair.

Anaeme suggested that community leaders should begin enlightenment in their communities on the importance of peaceful elections to the development of the country.

“Nigerians in the past lost lives and property during and after elections due to avoidable crises, such development must not recur.

“Security agencies should adhere to rules of engagement and avoid partisanship throughout the process of elections,’’ she advised.

She said that the group would begin its enlightenment programme for electorate on Nov. 10 on how to make elections free and fair.

“This programme will precede the group’s massive campaigns on a peaceful elections, using door-to-door method across the country,’’ Anaeme said.(NAN)