POLITICIANS, INEC, SECUIRITY AGENTS AND THE NEED TO AVERT IMPENDING ELECTORAL VIOLENCE

For the past 30 days I’ve observed keenly the electioneering campaigns, day to day political maneuvers and sadly, accusations and counter-accusations by major political players. I’ve also observed cowardly display of vile campaign rhetoric, condemnable coordinated attacks in campaign venues and alarming buildup of “brutally-scary heavy political thugs” in our various streets and public places.
Nigeria for the past 30 days has turned to a rehearsing theatre for ‘war mongering unpatriotic opportunists’ and those that have vowed to destroy our dear country.
Different calibers of high profile weapons now fly around in our domains all in the name of election preparation. Some politicians have even tagged next month election “political showdown/fight” because to them it’s all war, killing, maiming and all sort of condemnable political display.
It is imperative to note that 2011 postelection violence which claimed many innocent lives including lives of serving corps members in the Northern part of the country may be a child’s play if the necessary mechanisms are not fixed in their rightful places.
Many of you would have retorted God forbid to the above statement; that is the right thing to say in the place of negative comments and prediction, because nobody in his or her rightful sense will wish for violence, war or any act that will bring about disruption of peace and unity which we have so much cherished in this country. Notwithstanding, permit me to shock you that violence and breakdown of law and order may be imminent if the current ugly political trends are not urgently nip in the bud.
The First ugly trend which poses great danger to next month’s election is the sudden rise of fake news, hate speeches, inflammatory/inciting remarks and blind political followership.
Fake news is a time bomb that may be as potent as hydrogen bomb; it can cause untold havoc to Nigeria if it’s not urgently checkmated.
Many campaign remarks are now laden with stealthily crafted hate speeches and unwarranted scurrilous languages, but curiously, nobody seems to care. Imagine a so-called political godfather openly charging his followers to go to war against certain rivals if his anointed candidates fail to secure victory at the poll. This is the extent these politicians have gone to threaten the peace and unity of our dear country.
Making inflammatory/inciting statements will only lead to violence and possible loss of innocent lives which invariably will defeat the purpose of the electoral process. Politicians must be made to account for their statements both online, offline and in their various campaign venues. And all those caught peddling fake news and hate speeches should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
As we draw closer to the election I urge politicians to be mindful of their utterances as such are major catalyst to electoral violence.
Apart from politicians, the election umpire, INEC, must as a matter of urgency take pragmatic steps towards addressing the observations of many well-meaning Nigerians, including opposition parties and retreat from their ‘not so independent’ stands barely 3weeks to the general election. The electoral appointments from INEC leadership are also condemnable and calls for serious concern. If not, how do you explain the appointment of a controversial figure to an important position at the electoral collation center?
For a violence free election, INEC should not only be thought to be independent, fair and impartial they must show strictly they are independent both in their appointments and planning for Nigerians to repose confidence in them, after all, what is not shown is not known.
INEC should demonstrate utmost openness and convincing willingness to conduct thorough, all encompassing, free, fair, credible and generally acceptable election.
Gone are the days were “unpatriotic powerful few” would hold the country to ransom by dictating where to vote, who to vote and how to vote; Nigerians are wiser now. All votes should not seem to count, all votes must count.
The security forces especially Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, Department of State Security and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have a big role to play in ensuring peace, before, during and after the election. They must demonstrate total disinterestedness and ensure the electorates exercise their inalienable franchise without fear of intimidation and undue harassment. Also adequate arrangement must be made to actively forestall any break down of law and order in all the polling units and in any part of the country.
Security agents must jettison all partisan appeal and stick strictly to their rules of engagement.
Another category of people who have important role to play in forestalling imminent electoral violence are the political parties. The ruling APC should allow the electorates to decide their fate instead of resulting to self-help as demonstrated in their predictable harassment of powerful opposition figures and their allies. The level of desperation so far witnessed from APC and their campaign of lies and ceaseless propaganda are capable of not only hitting up the polity but gearing Nigeria toward untold havoc and avoidable anarchy.
Planning to influence the ballot through all forms of rigging (vote buying, snatching of ballot boxes, and outright manipulation of results) and use of security agents to intimidate and harass legitimate opposition voters will strongly cause ‘avoidable’ breakdown of law and order and it will be sternly resisted.
The ruling party should realize that no party has monopoly of violence. For peace to reign and to forestall electoral violence, equal playing ground must be created for all contestants for the electorates to determine their fate.
The leading opposition party (PDP) should also be heuristic and realistic in their approach. Just like the APC, displaying high level of desperation by resulting to propaganda and unsubstantiated allegation(s) against the ruling party is capable of fueling the already tensed atmosphere.
The PDP must realize that being the major opposition party do not in any way equate automatically to electoral victory. They should allow INEC and security agents to perform their lawful duties and dissuade from their unacceptable and condemnable tactics of undue insinuation and destructive criticism.
Nigeria is our country; we must strive continually to ensure unconditional peace reign supreme, before, during and after the election.
Politicians irrespective of how highly placed should realize that assuming power on the sacrifices of innocent lives will have a ‘macabre’ price payable here or in the world beyond. All actions and inactions are seeds which surely will germinate to yield its fruits and bring its own harvest in due season.
Nigerian politicians must take election as the beautiful game of football and not a do or die contest. Like football and like other competitions a winner and a looser must emerge at the end of the game. If you’re at the winning side be magnanimous in victory and if you’re at the ‘unpalatable’ side take it as the bitter pill of sportsmanship. There is always a second chance for those who dare to be patient and patriotic!
Resulting to violence, maiming and killing of innocent citizens should not be an option irrespective of the outcome.
We all must remain united and law abiding for the better development of our dear country. Election will come and go but we must unite to grow. We can’t afford to destroy the country because of election. We have just one country we can call our own!
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
#Notoelectionviolence #freefaircredible #election2019 #Nigeriadecide


by Cliff Dike