Electioneering campaigns are here again. Expectedly, it is a time that tensions rise among contestants. It is a period when political activities are at their frenzy. It is also a period when contestants are expected to return to the electorate to ask for their votes by showcasing their achievements or pledging on their honour to work for them to achieve a better life.
Universally, it is a point of negotiation between the governed and those who seek to govern them, on the terms of a social contract which usually culminates in an election. This is a hallmark of democracy and it is in fact a celebration of democratic values. Consequently, a change in governance through a democratic method ought to be a time of celebration indeed.
Our country, Nigeria is not an exception. Our present democratic experience has spanned at least 23years. Wobbly though our journey has been, the present Republic has been the longest our political class has upheld a system of democratic governance since our independence in 1960. It is for this reason that another preparation towards a baton change at the level of governance in Nigeria is worth being fully appreciated.
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It is to be expected that in the course of canvassing for support and votes, tension will rise on all sides. Debates will be combative and
nerves will be frayed. But what is not expected is allowing situations to degenerate into violence. For in violence shall we find ourselves
reverting to our inglorious past.
Our political history is littered with violent interruptions. Perhaps the most ugly was the pre-1966 one when thuggery got fully integrated into political contentions and the sad results were loss of lives and properties.
It is for this reason that one would eternally appreciate the initiative of General Abdusalm Abubakar and his compatriots in setting up the
National Peace Committee. Obviously taking root from a strong desire to ensure that the political class exercised a high sense of responsibility in managing peaceful transitions in the country, contestants of key positions at the elections, are usually invited to commit themselves to non violent electioneering activities prior to, and during elections.
They are invited to a public ceremony in which they all enter into an accord on behalf of their parties and candidates to eschew any act that could lead to the disruption of the transition process. The committee works, among other things, to discourage vote buying, fake news and hate speeches during the electioneering process. They on the other hand promote tolerance, respect, civility and decency in all public engagements during the process.
To the delight of the general electorate, contestants have through the years responded positively to the peace committee’s invitations to
subscribe to the peace accord. And while skirmishes were recorded in prior elections, none has been serious enough to truncate the process
leading up to ultimate results of various elections, both at the national and sub-national levels.
However, the present trend is becoming worrisome despite the fact that the political parties have only just commenced electioneering
campaigns. Allegations are being made about violence against supporters of various political parties. Official records hold that more than 30 incidents have been reported in various parts of the country, with perpetrators found in almost all the political parties. A case in point was
the one relating to the Presidential candidate of the people’s Democratic Party (PDP) whose supporters were allegedly attacked in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Senator Magnus Abe of Rivers State came up recently on a National Television to openly protest against the act, allegedly, by some
sponsored political thugs who violently prevented him and his supporters from campaigning at Oyigbo in Rivers State.
Yet in another political event, this time in Jos, Plateau State where the APC flagged off its presidential campaign, people watched helplessly as certain elements attempted to violently disrupt the political event. And all of these happened within a few days of the commencement of
electioneering campaigns.
With the frequency of these incidences of violence, the question then arises as to how peace can be sustained for the next two months when the campaigns will be expected to end.
This is a serious challenge to the president and law enforcement bodies, in view of the pledge by the President himself to ensure a
smooth transition to the next government.
Much of the burden will have to be borne by the police and other security organizations drafted to assist in law enforcement in relation to
pre-election activities in particular. In several cases, law enforcement operatives themselves have been found to be complicit in these
disruptions. They were found to be aiding two sides against one another.
In some other cases, they just stood aloof while the fracas lasted. Electioneering violence is not an event in which law enforcers should
look away. They are to intervene and deal decisively with any perpetrator, regardless of whose ox is gored.
At this point, it is necessary for the President, as the number 1 security officer to invite all security agencies and political candidates and
other stake-holders to an urgent meeting where the riot act will be read to everyone. Such a meeting will be better respected than the accord
organized at the instance of the Peace Committee. This should be done with a serious determination to let the full weight of the law come down upon perpetrators.
Nigeria has witnessed enough disruptions in the wake of Boko Haram and other insurgencies, heavily threatening its peaceful existence. It cannot afford to allow political thuggery complicate this democratic process. For the Nigerian nationhood, it is an existential
issue. It happened before. It led to an existential threat. It should never be allowed to happen again.