The increasing cases of political violence

IN recent weeks, incidents of political violence have surfaced across the country. On January 24 thugs in Lagos state chased People’s Democratic Party (PDP) deputy gubernatorial candidate Funke Akindele out of Ikosi fruit market, forcing her to stop campaigning. A member of her security team was allegedly stabbed during the incident. The director of Akindele, Dr. Olajide Adeniran, recently called for the protection of the Inspector General of Police after the endless attacks against him and his campaign team by gangsters. Labor Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi was attacked in Katsina state by thugs who threw heavy stones at his convoy and caused significant damage to vehicles. Earlier, the convoy of PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was attacked just as he was leaving the palace of the Shehu of Bornu towards Ramat Square, the site of his presidential gathering. More than 70 injured people were taken to hospitals in Kaduna. An office of the Presidential Campaign Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was vandalized in Ilesha, Osun state. The list of violent incidents is long.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of politically motivated killings in the states of Imo, Osun, Oyo, Enugu, Kaduna and Lagos. In November 2022, National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, reported that there were 52 cases of political violence in 22 states in one month. Between 2019 and 2022, crooks attacked 50 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices in 15 states. There have also been instances of vandalism of billboards, campaign vehicles, campaign offices and other property. Several campaign rallies have been violently disrupted and convoys attacked. This election season is thus once again associated with fear and anxiety about a possible breakdown in law and order, as violence has increased just a few weeks before the election.

It is disappointing that this is happening despite the signing of a peace agreement by candidates from political parties. It is a pity that the same candidates who signed the peace agreement incite the polity with incendiary remarks. The ongoing campaign for the upcoming general election is proving to be no different, if not worse than, the previous exercises characterized by violence and all sorts of negative behavior.

Political violence affects elections in several ways. It disrupts and disrupts the peaceful environment that people need to vote freely. This may cause some voters to lose their right to vote. Undoubtedly, holding or not holding elections in any part of the country due to violence has implications for the legitimacy of election results. For example, if millions of people are disenfranchised because of displacement, the national character of the presidential election could be called into question. Therefore, the case of internally displaced persons is particularly challenging during this campaign season.

When people are evicted too close to the election and evicted from their constituencies, they cannot vote for candidates to represent their vacated constituencies. This can therefore affect the election outcome by undermining the credibility and integrity of elections. Second, it makes voters insecure. Some voters or politicians and uninvolved citizens may be physically and psychologically injured. People can be traumatized. It makes election unnecessarily costly and destructive. Violence, as it has occurred across the country, has resulted in property destruction and loss of life. It slows down the process of democratic consolidation and may even lead to the breakdown of democracy.

The fact should be kept in mind that military interventions took place just after the troubled elections in 1965 and 1983. Electoral security is a major issue for the 2023 general election and the capacity, neutrality and professionalism of security agencies are very crucial to its success. In addition to deploying more troops in the troubled areas in the run-up to the various elections, the security services must ensure the safety of election officials, materials and voters during the elections. We recognize the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in bringing stakeholders together to address the issues. Nevertheless, we find that there are plenty of laws on the books against violence and enforcement is weak. The security services should not allow non-compliant politicians to behave with impunity and subject the country to violence instead of political campaigning.

Peace agreements can only last if politicians are held to their commitment to keep the peace. The security services must step up their game in a neutral and impartial manner to ensure that those who create and participate in violence are identified for punishment. This is the effective way to stop the current resort to violence during campaigns.