Traditional rulers in Delta State have appealed to the military and other security agencies not to turn the state into a theatre of war and stop disenfranchising Deltans under the guise of obeying orders from above.

Chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers and Obi of Owa, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor, in a statement, made the appeal on behalf of the traditional rulers in Asaba, the state capital.

Efeizomor said the call is coming against the backdrop of plan by the Federal Government to deploy military personnel during Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

He said Delta State had been a peaceful state, adding that the present and previous administrations had done a lot to achieve peace and ethnic harmony, which should not be truncated under whatever guise.

The monarch, who insisted that security agencies on election duty should adhere to the rules of engagement even as he charged the political gladiators to display maturity and play by the rules, said elections would come and go but Delta State would remain an indivisible political entity of the nation.

He said that eligible voters should be allowed to freely cast their votes for their choice candidates without any hindrance, adding that in every contest, there must be a winner and a loser.

Also, he enjoined the political class to adopt the spirit of sportsmanship and be magnanimous in victory.

The monarch, who charged the youths not to engage in any act capable of causing crisis and political violence before, during and after the elections, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be transparent.

•Sourced from The Guardian report