It is becoming clearer by the day, that what had begun like mere child’s play harassing, brutalising and intimidating supporters of the former Deputy Senate President each time they assembled throughout the 17 local governments of Enugu State, has now snowballed into full blown maiming and killing with such ease and alacrity. Before the year wound up last December, it was a common feature to raid Senator Ike Ekweremadu ‘s supporters, the Oganiru Group, in the nooks and crannies of the local governments.
The canopies erected for such meetings of like minds were raided, destroyed including chairs broken to pieces . His supporters were always inflicted with bodily injuries. A hitherto peaceful state, with the stamping out of banditry by the former Governor Sullivan Chime, had since begun sliding down the abyss. Few months ago, mere local government elections held in the state, were marred by shootings and alleged killings of innocent people who had simply queued up to perform their civic responsibilities .
At Akpugo, the home of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), chieftain and member of the Federal House of Representatives, was raided by gunmen during that local government polls and several cars burnt at his premises as he managed to escape a life-threatening situation.
A few weeks ago, the Director General of the campaign organisation of Ekweremadu’s bid for governorship, Hon. Ogbo Asogwa, onetime member of Enugu State House of Assembly and former Commissioner in the state, had listed names of their supporters hounded and allegedly detained, calling on the security authorities to intervene.
The usual PDP meeting regularly held every mid-month, witnessed a hell of an explosion few Saturdays ago with thugs overrunning two of the venues at Aninri Local Government and Nsukka Local Government, maiming and destroying anything in sight as party faithful scampered for safety. Most of the politicians taken unawares who managed to escape, had their heads broken and wounded.
Immediately after these acts of banditry, some supposed leaders of the political class of these areas, especially Aninri, where a member of the State House of Assembly had his head shattered during the unprovoked fracas, were summoned and peace brokered and the warring parties made to hug openly.
These are very cosmetic solutions as the seed of hatred had unfortunately already been sown. What is needed is a more reliable, honest and sincere peace mechanism transparent to solve once and for all these acts of bloodletting and return capital of old Eastern Nigeria, to its deserved place in comity of states in the federation.
With party primaries just at the door steps, it has become necessary to set up urgently an all purpose Peace Group, in Enugu State, the model of Rev. Fr. Bishop Kukah and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd). Good public spirited people cannot watch the state go in flames.
Religious bodies, Catholic Bishops, Primates and Archbishops of the Anglican Communion, the Methodist, Pentecostal, Civil Society Organisations, electoral NGOs, security agencies, Police, DSS and other covert bodies, must immediately get cracking, in order to check this unwholesome practice giving a Coal City noted for peace a very bad name.
This body must be independent, work out its modalities. It should include being non-partisan, never to solicit or receive funding from any government agencies or from any politician or political parties, if this Peace Group of respected citizens, would attain the utmost and deliver on its set goals.
The group must move into action by meeting with all politicians and political parties, tour possibly the flashpoints and meet with the key players or invite them to a round table talks. It must emphasise that the present hate speech and character assassination which have become a pasttime, should stop forthwith.
Every Nigerian has the inalienable right to vote and be voted for. Let there be a smooth and healthy primaries leading to a rancour free campaigns when the signal for electioneering campaigns is given. Let’s have an atmosphere of freedom to debate and non-interference by extraneous forces. Let the people decide who rules them come 2023 and also let the electorate equally choose who their representatives would be at the House of Assembly and National Assembly.
Let the votes count, let there be no manipulation. Let there be a level playing ground for all. The task before these peace lovers is grave and also the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should take more than a mere interest since a rancorous election consumes all and sundry, the politicians, the security forces and ad-hoc INEC staff who unfortunately become the cannon fodder. So INEC should encourage and support this bold initiative by participating in the awareness and educative schemes for a better democratic system.
The Peace Group, in addition to public and open engagements with all stakeholders across board, should run series of jingles in different languages and handbills including billboards drumming the danger ahead if thuggery, banditry and brigandage become painfully and unfortunately, the order of the day.
The security agencies must be alert and provide security to all, the weak, poor, the rich and all political parties irrespective of the strength and following. There is the urgent need to return to the conventional discourse where superior arguments carry the day, rather than allow simpletons to destroy our democratic setting.
It is no crime for a well-experienced politician, revered both at home and overseas, a highly respected parliamentarian, who continues to play major roles in international parliamentary bodies based in Malta and Dubai UAE, one who has convinced Enugu people that there lies a silver lining in the sky by providing an unprecedented Pathway to A New Enugu State, where potable and clean water would for the first time in decades run again on the taps, gone rusty with age and for dying pensioners to get their payments cleared and on time.
- Ugwu writes from Enugu