Across the country, there have been reports of one form of attack or the other, either on campaign convoys or on politicians by opponents and their supporters. The development is generating ripples ahead of next year’s general election. TONY AKOWE reports
Recent developments within the polity suggest that the campaign for next year’s general election is taking an ugly turn. Observers believe that unless something is done fast, the nation may witness unprecedented violence and political intolerance in parts of the country before, during and after the general election. Party campaigns have come under attack in contravention of the provisions of the Electoral Act in parts of the country. The main opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) recently alleged that its campaign rally in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital was attacked by supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), an allegation that was denied by the ruling party.
Name-calling by associates of some candidates, especially those involved in the presidential election, has become the order of the day; even though the Electoral Act frowns against such acts. INEC offices have also come under attack by unknown persons. Its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu accused politicians and political actors in the country of heating up the polity and not being ready to play the political game according to rules set by them and the laws of the land.
Prof Yakubu spoke at a one-day intergenerational peace conference on the election, with the theme, ‘Vote, Not Fight: Election No Be War’, which was organised by the Vote, Not Fight partners in Abuja. He expressed concern that the actions of the politicians may poison the electoral environment and cause elections to be held under volatile and high-risk political and social contexts. He was represented at the event by one of his national commissioners, Prof Abdullahi Zuru. He said: “A nation’s sovereignty in any democracy lies with the people who express this through the process of elections. In other words, they confer legitimacy on those they wish to govern by giving them their votes voluntarily. This simply means that the legitimacy of any government lies in the credibility of the electoral process which brought them to power. If the process by which a government ascends to power is flawed or blemished, the legitimacy of that government is questionable.”
The INEC chairman said the election management body places a high premium on ensuring that the electoral process in Nigeria is free, fair, credible, inclusive, transparent and most importantly verifiable. He said: “Unfortunately, the sad political realities facing us in our country today, is that the political actors seem not to be prepared to play the political game according to the rules they set for themselves on the one hand and those set by INEC and the electoral legal framework on the other.
Spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed believes the growing insecurity in the country, especially in the north, may affect the conduct of the election. He said many northerners may not be able to vote during the election as a result of insecurity. The NEF spokesman said the election is vital to the survival of the country. His words: “Next year’s election will define our future. It is time to speak to the fact that the election is not a joke; it is not a game; it is not a time to break heads and it is not a time to make a little bit of money. Coming from the north, we worry a lot. We worry about the right of the northerner to participate in the election and exercise their franchise. We worry about the issue of electoral violence and we worry about the efforts of the government to push side insecurity so that our people can actually come out to vote. We have worked very hard to convince Nigerians to come out and vote during the election.
“We have made the case that because the house leaks, does not mean you abandoned the house; the right thing to do is to fix the leak. Nigerians want to fix the leaks, but they are asking for the space to do so. We are saying to Nigerians, particularly northerners, irrespective of where they belong, should come out and vote. We don’t need to fight each other; we have fought enough and there is even no reason to fight each other. The fight does not give you one vote. On the contrary, it creates pain. When politicians give youths money to beat each other, they are actually doing a great disservice to the electoral process. They could not use the money to create jobs and train the young people, but prefer to use it to encourage people to kill each other.”
Baba-Ahmed also believes that the international community has a role to play in ensuring a free, fair, credible and violent free election in 2023. He said: “The international community has been doing well in supporting our democratic journey. One area that they need to do more is to know that it is not just enough to support our elections. When the outcome is not acceptable, please speak up. Democracy is not just about election alone. It is about the Nigerian people. If you can spend this amount of money to support the process, you must be able to say this is not right.
“If you are really interested in growing democracy in Nigeria, we challenge you to say whether our election is acceptable or not. We cannot have two types of democracy. If you will not participate in evaluating our elections properly, we don’t want your money. We are a key part of the international community. You invest huge sums of money because you want to see the improvement and development of democracy. Please play the role you are supposed to play. So we will lend our voices to the demand for peaceful and credible elections. We hope to have an election that will lead to the rebuilding of Nigeria.”
Vote, Not Fight Ambassador and popular musician, Innocent Idibia said Nigerians must ensure that the election is peaceful, free, fair and credible. Idibia, popularly known as 2Face Idibia said that the need for young Nigerians to be active participants in elections and governance has never been more pressing, stressing the need for the older generation to harness the talent and energy of the youth towards transforming the fortunes of a distressed nation has never been direr. He pledged to continue to remain non-partisan in my political engagement but will continue to hold every political office holder accountable for their policies and actions, whether young or old. On her part, the Northeast Coordinator of the Vote, Not Fight Campaign, Ashraf Tukur emphasised the fact that with about 102 days to the general election, Nigerians are desirous of having peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
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She said: “As young Nigerians, we have stepped forward to lead the process of building a national consensus against electoral violence and its sponsors through the non-partisan ‘Vote, Not Fight Campaign’. The ‘Vote, Not Fight Campaign’ has civil society partners in Nigeria’s six geo-political zones who are hosting conferences, town hall meetings, radio programmes and door-to-door engagements to promote peaceful elections in 2023.”
However, the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee (NPC) has urged candidates contesting the election to warn their spokesmen and supporters to make campaigns for the election violent-free. The committee in a statement expressed concern over the wave of violence at political rallies, decrying the use of intemperate language, intimidation and outright violence by party supporters. It said if the development is not curtailed, it could undermine the peace accord signed by all presidential candidates at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, on September 28.
The NPC added that it has watched with utter sadness and deep concern, the deterioration in the communication of fundamental issues among the politicians since INEC lifted the ban on political campaigns in September In their words: “Nigerians are genuinely concerned, troubled and disappointed by the conduct and attitude of some of the political actors in the last few weeks. Nigerians have been fed a menu of intemperate language, intimidation and outright violence in the field of the campaigns. It is evident that some of our actors have not learnt any lessons from the past.”
There is an increasing tone of desperation, if not incitement, among some of the contestants and members of their parties. Intra and inter-party wrangling persist, with occasions of violence. In desperation, some selfish political actors use these strategies to pursue their frivolous ambitions in the courts. The NPC has continued to maintain its partnership with the INEC to deliver peaceful elections in our country. The statement reads: “The international community has taken a very keen interest in the development and progress of our country on the path of democracy. For this reason, the NPC has continued to work with and receive high-level delegations from Europe and the United States of America interested in our elections. Their passion, concerns and commitment to our democracy are genuine and we find this very encouraging.”
The committee led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah believes that aggressive and abusive language only diminishes the integrity of the individuals, their candidates and their parties, saying Nigerians should be ready to punish instigators of violence by isolating them or their candidates. He said: “We call on the federal and state governments to ensure a level-playing field for all parties in the course of the campaigns. Access to federal or state facilities must be open to all candidates as long as they meet their financial and other commitments to using the facilities.
“It is morally wrong to abuse the power of incumbency by subverting the efforts of those who are in opposition to the status quo. Parties and citizens do not lose their rights because they are opposed to the party in power. All citizens are above political parties. We call on fellow citizens to appreciate the global trends around the world and Africa and their impact on the future where resources are becoming scarce. Nigerians must appreciate the huge resources committed to elections and do everything possible to ensure its integrity.”
However, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has indicted state governors for sponsoring act of electoral violence in their state. Addressing leaders of political parties and other critical stakeholders ahead of the election, the IGP who heads the interagency security committee for the election said available reports points to the fact that governors were encouraging acts of political thuggery in their states.
The police boss believes that the electoral commission must put measures in place to check these acts ahead of the general elections. He said: “INEC should take decisive actions against candidates and parties that violate the Electoral Act in the areas of conduct of political parties, candidates, and other actors in relation to hate speeches; campaign funding regulations; encouraging, supporting, or inciting violence; and depriving political opponents of basic electoral rights guaranteed under the Act.”
Baba is optimistic that the security agencies were working together and doing their best to checkmate the situation. He said: “We have resolved to enhance intelligence gathering, sharing and utilization of same to stem acts of political violence; upscale the deployment of security teams to all INEC assets and facilities nationwide, with teams drawn from the police, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Civil and Security Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Fire Service.”
Other measures being taken by the security agents, he said include taking “decisive, lawful action against purveyors of hate speech, incitement to violence, mobilisation of thugs and other violations, including the prompt arrest, investigation, and prosecution of offenders, in line with the provisions of Sections 92 and 93 of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended”. He added: “Those already arrested will face prosecution.”
The IGP said the meeting with all the registered political parties became expedient, following a noticeable trend within the national political space which, if not promptly addressed, could evolve into a potent threat to not just our national security but the electoral process.
Similarly, Dr. Kabir Adamu, a security consultant said with a projected voter population of about 95 million across the 36 states and the FCT, INEC will face the problem of insecurity and geographical challenges among others. He said the task before the commission will be to ensure the safety and security of voters, election personnel and materials. He said the nation is witnessing a near collapse of its value system and the destruction of the social fabric that holds society.