Ondo South All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Mr. Omoyele Olabode has appealed to Ikale politicians to see the need to allow peace across Ikaleland during and after the forthcoming APC Primaries scheduled to commence this coming weekend.
Olabode made this known in an exclusive chat with newsmen on his view on the political development in the State.
The Igbotako born APC stakeholder said politics is meant to be played bearing in mind that the endgame is fostering political development even as he added that people who want to develop the society must be willing to allow collaboration and not violence.
He noted that in Ikale land, there are eminently qualified politicians who will not disappoint the trust reposed in them if they are fielded in the primaries, stressing however that no matter how keenly contested a political slot is, only a winner will emerge eventually.
He noted that as Democrats, all the politicians vying for an elective post in the coming primaries must play the game by the rule and must buy into the time tested saying that no political post is worth the shedding of the blood of any human soul.
“In Ikaleland, no office being vied for by any politician is worth the blood of anyone. So as politicians we must bear in mind that politics is not a do or die affair and at no time should it be elevated to the level of a do or die affair.
“Yes, we cannot take away the fact that offices will be keenly contested but the question is, is it worth violence , brigandage , assault , political bickering, rousing tension that can lead to fight, unrest and killing?
“If as politicians the basis of representative democracy is to bring the goodies to our constituencies , our action then should not cut for us the toxic image of purveyors of violence for post sake,” Olabode reiterated.
He called on followers and hangers on of political leaders across Ikaleland not to allow their partisanship excitement to lead them into misinterpreting the gestures of their leaders, adding that no political leader is ready to plunge their constituency into violence.
Olabode noted that the social contract template of participatory political representation does not in anyway support violence and blood shedding, calling on both contestants and followers to remember that socio-political development is only possible where calm and peace reign supreme.