AGAINST the laws of the land and the spirit of the Peace Accord signed by political parties, politicians have been unleashing violence on their opponents since the onset of the ongoing general eletion. For instance, recently, the Enugu State Police Command confirmed the killing of the Labour Party senatorial candidate for Enugu East, Oyibo Chukwu, and his personal assistant by gunmen. In a statement, the police spokesman, Daniel Ndukwu, indicated that the gunmen “attacked and set ablaze the campaign vehicle of the Labour Party at Eke-Otu Amechi-Awkunanaw, Enugu, burning to death the party’s senatorial candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District, Barr. Oyibo Chukwu (male) and his personal assistant (male) who was with him in the vehicle. However, the miscreants were repelled by security operatives while attempting to also attack the convoy of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Eke, Agbani, Nkanu West LGA.”
In another ghastly incident, a yet-to-be identified supporter of the LP in Lagos State had his hand amputated after the attack that rocked the grand finale of the presidential campaign rally of the party in the state recently. This was made known by the director-general of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme, The 2023 Verdict. Again, last month, explosions rocked the properties of some supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, with the Nigeria Police confirming that it had commenced investigations into the incidents. The facilities bombed with dynamites were those of a former managing director of the Rivers State Microfinance Agency, Dr. Ipalibo Sogules; a gas plant in Port Harcourt, the state capital, and DC Lounge, a hospitality hub owned by Ikechi Chinda, former PDP chairman in the state, as well as the residence of a PDP chieftain, Christian Ikiroma. And in yet another incident, no fewer than three people were confirmed dead while dozens of others sustained injuries during a clash that erupted between members of the APC and the ruling PDP in Osun State. This was in spite of the repeated calls by the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, for calm in the state.
In any case, the large-scale violence witnessed during the recently concluded presidential election, particularly in Lagos and Rivers states, put paid to any suggestions that the country’s politicians are willing to play fair. And while the presidential election is over, governorship and state assembly elections are scheduled for March 11 and no one knows what to expect. With the war-like disposition of contestants and their intemperate utterances, however, it is reasonable to expect large-scale violence in the absence of concrete action by security agencies to stem the tide. This is not a mischievous prognosis: our projection is rooted in recent developments. If the tide of violence is to subside, particularly as those who lost out during the presidential election will try and do everything within their power to win the next round of elections while the victors will want to add to their trophies, President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies will have to do far much more than deploying soldiers and policemen to monitor the elections. They will have to be deliberately tactical and balanced in how they contain any violence that may come up before, during and after the elections. They must show that those who thrive by snatching ballot boxes, beating up perceived opposition voters and dumping ballot boxes in drainages are in for doom this time around.
The point has been clearly made that Nigerian politicians are intent on politicking only through violence in spite of the extensive efforts to ensure the absence of violence through the signing of peace accords by political parties and key political actors. That is why rather than abating, political violence is increasing, making politicking in the country essentially a violent affair. And there is simply no way the government can speak of a conducive environment for elections where violence dot and define the political landscape. It is, therefore, important for the government to act with despatch to stop the orgy of violence and return the country to a peaceful atmosphere. This violence must stop, and it must stop now. It shows that the politicians have not learnt the proper lessons from previous outings and the government, as the authority vested with the maintenance of law and order, must shake off its lethargy and confront political violence and its perpetrators with the repressive apparatuses of the state. It must protect innocent voters from political buccaneers. It must show that the belief that human life counts for nothing where political ambition is concerned is gravely mistaken.
We expect the government to see the issue of political violence as a problem serious enough to truncate the entire political and electoral processes and act decisively act on the situation to assure Nigerians of an environment more conducive to politics and politicking.
