Few weeks to the presidential election, reports of violence that hog headlines of the national dailies suggest that politicians are bent on causing violence that may question the cooperate existence of the contraption called Nigeria
By Miracle Egbo
Violence appears to have been the signature of the electioneering across the nation leaving at its wake deaths. From Bauchi, Ebonyi, Enugu, Bornu, Kano, Imo, Lagos, Kogi States to other parts of the country, it appears that political gladiators are using the blood of innocent Nigerians to make a statement of winning the forthcoming general election that would kick off in matter of weeks.
In Ebonyi for instance, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abia Onyeike was brutally attacked by thugs allegedly arranged by the All Progressives Congress, APC in the build up to the governorship campaign in the state. In the same vein, members of the Labour Party in state have regaled the populace with series of attack targeted at their supporters in the state, calling on the security agencies to do something before it gets out of control. Another deadly attack in Ebonyi on the convoy of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA governorship candidate occurred in the night of Thursday, February 2, 2023. The party alleged that the attack was carried out by members of the local militia tagged the Ebubeagu alleged to be loyal to the governor of the state, Dave Umahi.
Ditto for Rivers State where bombs were alleged to have been detonated at the campaign rally of APC in the state for no just cause, and at the wake of the attack many were injured and deaths recorded in the process. Tonye Cole, the APC governorship candidate in Rivers had called on President Mohammadu Buhari to call a state of emergency in the state as way of forestalling the breaking of law and order in the state. Magnus Abe, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP was pelted with stones in one of his electioneering in the state.
In Bornu State the campaign convoy of the presidential candidate of PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was attacked on its way to the electioneering ground of the party in state after visiting some traditional rulers in 2022. Many people lost their lives at the wake of the attack with some of the victims still recuperating in the hospital. The same tales abound in Bauchi State where the campaign of the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate was bloody. Some lives were lost at the end of the fracas that lasted for hours on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Security operatives appeared to have been overwhelmed by the avalanche of violence that has trailed electioneering for the past months in the country.
Even when the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor assured Nigerians that there is going to be a synergy between the Army and the Police to make sure that there is seamless election, many did not take him serious because since then people are being killed because of electioneering, no arrests have been made. The chieftains of the various parties have pointed fingers to the rival political parties, and no invitation had been extended to them for questioning. Major General Irabor is not alone in assuring Nigerians that security operatives are equal to task of making sure that there is safety of the electorate before and during the electioneering. The Inspector General of Police Alkali Baba Ahmed said that the police were ever ready to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in providing security to its staffers during and after the general election. President Mohammadu Buhari had on many fora assured the electorate that insecurity would not constitute any hitches to the conduct of the election as security has been intensified to make sure that nobody is molested or attacked during and after the election. In many of the international engagements he had recently, President Buhari assured his audience that election would take place as scheduled, and he is prepared to deliver credible and transparent election without fear or favour. The assurances of President Buhari and the security chiefs have not been able to assuage Nigerians that all is well what with the spate of killings that is politically motivated.
Despite the peace accord signed by all the political parties, there is no respite in sight as it affects killing of innocent souls all in the name of electoral violence during electioneering. From reports monitored by this medium, the utterances of the ruling party stalwarts were alleged to have fueled the heightened electoral violence in the land since the electioneering started few months ago. Curiously, the security operatives that have assured the electorate of their safety during and after elections have not got the ball to call to order those who have been allegedly fingered as the brain behind the electoral violence to be arrested and brought to book. The Peace Committee chaired by the former Military Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar (retd) had not been able to rein the political gladiators who signed the peace accord or make any of them a scapegoat for violating the peace accord they entered into.
Verbal attacks by the Presidential candidate of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu are not helping matters in inducing his supporters to unleash violence on the electorate whom he intends to rule if he wins. In most of his electioneering, he had rained abuses on the presidential candidates of PDP and LP calling them all sorts of name in the name of campaign. The security operatives have not deemed it fit to call Tinubu to order to base his electioneering on issues instead of unleashing verbal attacks that could lead to hatred by the electorate.
Pathetic, in Imo State, the country home of Ikenga Ugochinyere, the House of Representative candidate of PDP and the spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP was torched by assassins alleged to have been sponsored by the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, at the wake of the that carnage, the uncle of Ugochinyere and party faithful who visited were gunned down by the assassins for the just cause. No arrests have been made weeks after the incident despite assurances that those behind the dastardly act would be made to face the wrath of the law. Uzodinma in a feeble defence of what happened in the country home of the House of Representatives candidate of PDP alleged that Ugochinyere was the cause of his misfortune for hobnobbing with the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB which, according to him, he is collaborating with IPOB to scuttle elections in the state.
In Kaduna State, a prominent member of LP was murdered in cold blood because she openly supported the presidential candidate of LP, Mr. Peter Obi. As at the time of filing this report, the killers of the LP women Leader in Kaduna has not been apprehended for prosecution as required by the law of the land. In Lagos State, APC had been alleged to have tried everything political possible to intimidate opposition parties in the state in the build up to the electioneering. For instance, Dr. Abudulaziz Adediran, fondly called Jandor and the governorship candidate of PDP in the 2023 election has been having running battle with the incumbent governor of the state Babajide Sanwo-Olu who is the APC governorship candidate in the election. In Oworoshoki area of Lagos state last January, Jandor alleged that thugs allegedly sponsored by the APC government attacked his electioneering train. In the same vein, the governorship candidate of PDP alleged that his campaign team was equally attacked in the Surulere area of the state and at the wake of the attacked one person died. Other political parties have had their fair share of attack of their members. For instance, a member of LP who was merely carrying the banner of the party was beaten to a pulp if not for the intervention of a soldier who was passing by. The constant threat by the supporters of APC against other ethnic groups in the state is likely, according to investigation, going to be a threat to a peaceful election in the state.
Public Affairs commentator, Prince Samson Eze told Tentacle that if nothing is done to the incessant violence that had trailed electioneering in the country, it is going to instill fear on the electorate who would not come out on the day of the election for the fear of being attacked. “I foresee voter apathy if the violence continues thereby throwing up chaos in the system that may derail the transition. The security operatives should up the ante to avoid violence of greater proportion in the country”, warned Eze
