Upsurge in pre-election violence worrisome

DISTURBING reports of politically-related violence across the country continue to cast a dark pall over the 2023 elections. Reckless, desperate, and increasingly disdainful of the law, politicians are sponsoring killings, attacks and arson to subdue and overawe opponents. In the South-East, terrorists masquerading as self-determination crusaders are torching election offices and killing officials and security personnel with increasing ferocity. At home and abroad, anxiety is mounting over the general elections starting February 25.

For the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ensuring the success of the polls may be his toughest challenge yet. Having failed on many counts in his stewardship, failure to keep the country safe for voting could tip the country into a vortex of turmoil with unpredictable but certainly, dire outcomes.

Thugs and assorted miscreants are enjoying a booming ‘employment market’ for violent political enforcers and killers. The Rivers State All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Tonye Cole’s campaign train was attacked in Opobo town, Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area this month, where one party member was kidnapped and later released. This occurred after three members of the party on a door-to-door campaign in Omuma LGA suffered machete cuts. Last year, Cole’s running mate, Innocent Barikor, escaped death by a whisker during an assassination attempt in Port Harcourt. But a police officer died in the attack.

In November 2022, the women leader of the Labour Party in Kaduna State, Victoria Chimtex, was killed by gunmen at her residence in Kaura LGA Southern Kaduna.

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Assassins also slaughtered the Labour Party candidate for Onuimo constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Christopher Elehu. His country home was set ablaze, and property destroyed. The Rivers State Social Democratic Party governorship candidate, Magnus Abe’s campaign train was also attacked by thugs in Ahoada West LGA.

Osun State has become a war zone where political thugs and rival transport union hooligans associated with different political factions engage in ferocious street battles in daylight hours on behalf of politicians, including state actors. As the elections draw nearer, the violence is escalating.

Indeed, Nigeria’s politics and elections have for long been marred by violence, including assassinations, ballot box snatching, arson, brigandage and kidnapping of opponents, officials and security personnel.

Worried, the National Peace Committee, chaired by a former military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, that in September 2022 rallied presidential candidates of the political parties to sign a peace accord to adhere strictly to peaceful and decorous electioneering is sounding a fresh alarm. Abubakar has renewed the committee’s appeal to the candidates and parties to ensure civil campaigns.

He stated, “I call on politicians to address issues that are fundamental to Nigerians. We want to promote respect and tolerance of difference. We want to ensure that there is civility and decency in public discourse. Therefore, on behalf of Nigerians, I am appealing to all political parties, party chairmen, candidates, and their spokespersons; please, a campaign based on issues that are of significant concern to Nigerians.”

But Nigerian politicians and their thugs are immune to appeals. The peace pacts have never curbed them and their terror gangs. It is the responsibility of the state to maintain law and order and enforce its writ; the constitution confers all the instruments of coercion on the President and the law enforcement agencies, which all exclusively report to him.

Buhari should act decisively and unleash the full weight of the law on the merchants of violence wreaking havoc across the country for political advantage, irrespective of party affiliation. A research firm, SB Morgen, recorded 27 persons killed in 57 politically-motivated violent incidents in 2022. A compilation by NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, HumAngle and the International Crisis Group, estimated about 150 persons killed in the 2019 election season.

Politicians and their hirelings continue to unleash violence because they are rarely brought to justice. The pattern continues as no significant politically exposed person has been arrested recently and prosecuted. Only a few minions are ever nabbed and fewer still ever prosecuted as they enjoy protection from their employers, including high state officials and governors.

For Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, and the State Security Service, the country’s future is at stake. One sign of police and SSS failure is the increasing role of the military in pursuing miscreants in several states of the federation, the primary responsibility of the police.

The police appear overwhelmed to check the violence as thugs have a field day unleashing terror. Its leadership has cheeringly instituted an election planning, monitoring and evaluation team across the states ahead of the polls; it should exert intense energy in isolating, mitigating and combating political threats robed in violence.

There have so far not been outstanding arrests and prosecutions of suspects and this disquieting situation further emboldens the perpetrators.

Nigeria’s irresponsible and violent politicians see elections as do-or-die affairs and place their inordinate, personal ambitions higher than the collective will of the people and the interests of the country. Stripped of partisan considerations, desperate politicians should be neutralised and made to account for their crimes.

Security of voters is crucial before, during and after polling. The electorate and INEC personnel must be protected at all costs. It is distressing that some governors in the South-West have shamelessly handed over parks and garages in their states to their favoured transport union factions that are notable for violence and extortion. This is impunity carried too far and should be resisted.

The troubling cases of Funsho Williams, a Peoples Democratic Party chief, murdered in his Lagos home in 2006 and that of the Ogun State defunct Action Congress governorship candidate, Dipo Dina, assassinated in 2010, and many others are sad reflections on the country’s savage political culture.

Baba and the SSS Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, should deploy all necessary resources to stamp out political violence. Thugs and assassins are mere hirelings; it is not enough to arrest a few criminals; interrogation and intelligence should reveal their sponsors who should also be promptly arrested and prosecuted. In this task, Buhari and the security agencies should not fail Nigerians.