Rotary Mobilises Anambra Ahead of Governorship Poll, Calls for Peaceful Conduct
The Rotary Club of Nigeria has stepped into the build-up to Anambra’s November 8, 2025 governorship election with a call on political parties, candidates, and residents to prioritise peace and avoid violence before, during, and after the polls.
Leaders of the club made the appeal in Awka on Saturday after staging a peace walk to mark the 2025 International Peace Day.
They stressed that the exercise sought to raise awareness on the dangers of election-related violence and to promote unity across the state.
Past Assistant Governor and State Coordinator of the Rotary Action Group for Peace (RAFGP), Chidi Obiudu, explained that the group’s focus was to prevent disputes that could degenerate into litigation and instability.
“Our district is very interested in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Our message is very simple and direct to Ndi Anambra; all we are begging is for us to cultivate the culture of peace,” Obiudu said.
He noted that the event, themed “Act now for a peaceful world”, carried a direct message to voters and party supporters:
“Our prayer is for the election to be peaceful because if it’s not peaceful, it will lead to litigation, and it will take the state nowhere. In a contest like an election, there must be a winner; if you win, if you lose, so be it.”
Obiudu urged citizens to take the peace message into their communities, stressing that “peace comes with development.”
He also advised political parties to “sheathe their swords and embrace peace, irrespective of the party they belong to. Anambra State is one body.”
Rotary Club of Awka Metropolis President, Michael Bishop, echoed the call, warning youths, described as the “strength and muscle of the state” to reject violence and conduct themselves responsibly.
“We urge the youths to embrace peace during the election; they are the strength and muscle of the state.
“They should shun conflict, coordinate themselves properly and avoid acts capable of throwing the state into crisis, especially at this forthcoming election,” Bishop said.
Other Rotary leaders, including RAFGP District Chairman, Dennis Ekemezie; President of Rotary Club of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Chukwu Melchizedek; President of Rotary Club, Obowo, Imo State, Ngozi Onuoha; and President of Rotary Club, Awka GRA, Chioma Ikebundu, also stressed the importance of embracing “positive peace” as a pathway to development in Anambra and Nigeria at large.
