Nigerian Military and Dousing Electoral Violence Ahead of 2023
By Abdulsalam Mahmud
The hallmark of democracy, as a system of governance, is election. It is a tool that serves the purpose of peaceful change in government and confer political legitimacy on the government.
Viewed from this lens, elections, truly and unmistakably, represent the expression of the sovereign will of the people.
However, the conduct of elections in a plural society like Nigeria is often fraught with animosities and violence, according to a research. Electoral seasons, more than anytime else, reveals the fragility and soft underbelly of the Nigerian state.
The PUNCH, in an editorial, observed that “elections and violence in Nigeria are like Siamese twins,” pointing out that brutalities associated with elections across states are numbing.
“Some gory incidents from the 2019 general election appositely exposed the dilemma: Political thugs murdered party agents in the Nkwerre LGA of Imo State.
“Hoodlums also killed a police corporal, Mannir Usman, and another employee of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Umar Aliyu, after disrupting elections in Dan Musa LGA of Katsina State.
“Rivers State recorded a troubling death toll when six voters were feared killed by thugs in Abonnema, Akoku-Toru LGA during the election.
“In the same election, a lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency, Oyo State, Temitope Latoya, popularly called ‘Sugar,’ was killed; he was shot in the head at point blank range by thugs in the violence that marred the exercise in Lalupon area of the state,” the tabloid highlighted.
Though, political parties’ standbearers in next year’s general elections have emerged, the road to the polls is still long and appears tortuous. And no one can say what political kingmakers bent on winning or having their candidates returned elected at various elections in 2023, are cooking up.
But at this time, relevant security agencies in the country must begin to map out effective strategies of preventing the outbreak of any kind of violence, with a view to ensuring that the polls, entirely, are credible, fair and transparent.
The police and other security outfits, without further ado, must evolve combat measures that will check the antics of political thugs and hooligans, who will be recruited to carry out hatchet jobs of ‘over-ambitious’ politicians, and aspirants, whose name will be on the ballot.
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On its part, the Nigerian military has already warned politicians against inciting violence before, during and after the 2023 general elections, stressing that any political thug caught during electioneering would be seriously dealt with.
The Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen. Lucky Irabor, disclosed this during an operational briefing of the military in Abuja, recently.
Irabor, stated that the desire to have peaceful general elections by Nigerians must come to fruition. He said, “We are going towards a season that everyone has been desiring, which is to have a peaceful electioneering and elections.
“Please, do not think that is just the responsibility of the government; the responsibility is for everyone to ensure that we have a peaceful electioneering so that every one of us will have a country that we will be proud of.
“If we don’t have a country, there will be no appointive positions to aspire for. So, the most important thing regarding this forthcoming election is that we must conduct ourselves peacefully.”
Irabor, warned that the military would not fold its arms and watch politicians cause unrest in the country. He urged candidates contesting various positions to eschew violence.
Irabor said, “Anyone looking forward to being elected must do it within the ambit of the provisions of the law. We will not in any way, stand aside and see those who perpetrate violence all because they are looking for political and appointive offices.
“Nigeria remains a nation that must be peaceful, and Nigerians deserve to live in peace. And so, we will not allow criminals to have their way. We’re working very closely with the police, and we’re ready to give them all the support that is necessary because, going forward, Nigeria must be peaceful.”
Speaking on the connivance of military personnel with terrorists and other criminal elements, Irabor said those arrested are being tried by court martial.
He said, “Personnel of the three Armed Forces caught conniving with the kidnappers, bandits, terrorists and other criminals are facing various court martial in different formations. They would be made to face wrath of law for being internal saboteurs with the military.”
While heaping plaudits on Irabor and the Nigerian military for their proactiveness, relevant stakeholders, on their part, must advocate for the establishment of an electoral crimes commission to independently prosecute persons culpable of electoral fraud. It is long overdue.
Mahmud is the Deputy Editor of PRNigeria
