Electoral violence: Treating menace with kid gloves

It has yet to be disputed that Nigeria’s political history is replete with election violence with its attendant killings, maiming, looting, kidnapping and destruction of properties, including public institutions. So, none of the general elections conducted has been violent-free since the country attained independence in 1960. Even some pundits would want to argue that the June 12, 1993 presidential election, presumed to be won by the business mogul, the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, and said to be the nation’s freest and fairest election, was not completely violent-free.

Therefore, the killings of a member of the National Youth Service Corps and five other persons as well as the attack on electoral officials during the last Saturday rerun in Rivers State remind curious observers of similar occurrences in the past as well as the devastating consequences such violent scenarios bring.

There was bloodbath in Rivers in spite of the assurance and re-assurance of security of voters’ lives and property by the police and other security agencies involved in the rerun.

The Chairman, National Human Rights Commission’s Governing Council, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, had pointed out in a paper titled, “A pre-election report and advisory on violence in Nigeria’s 2015 general elections,” that 58 persons were slain in 22 states before the polls. These were apart from the needless bloodbath in which hundreds were feared killed and properties of incalculable value were destroyed during the 2011 and 2015 general elections.

Even the various peace pacts signed by the major contenders in the 2015 general elections in which they pledged to ensure that innocent blood was not shed could best be described as a deception because many people still lost their lives during the polls.

Since the advent of Nigeria’s renascent democracy in 1999, at least the nation has held five general elections. Each of the polls was said to be marred by irregularities, including violent activities allegedly sponsored by angry and selfish politicians.

This trend was repeated not long ago in both Bayelsa and Kogi states governorship elections. In Bayelsa State alone, no fewer than 14 persons, – four policemen, two soldiers and eight civilians were reportedly killed during the December 5, 2015 governorship and January 9 supplementary poll in the state. The massacres were said to be triggered by ballot box snatching and other electoral malpractices.

Like the usual practice among Nigeria’s politicians, the two leading political parties in the governorship contest – the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress – blamed the incidents on each other in separate statements issued by their spokespersons.

Also, it was observed that the recent Kogi State governorship election, though said to be largely peaceful, still defied democratic ethics because results from some polling units were cancelled as a result of violence and other malpractices like ballot box snatching, intimidation of voters by political thugs and rigging, among others.

Experts have identified lack of political will by relevant government agencies charged with the responsibilities of preventing and possibly prosecuting promoters of election violence as the major reason the phenomenon appears to be gaining traction by the day. They also claimed that not much had been heard from the National Human Rights Commission’s plan to prosecute suspected promoters of violence during the 2015 general elections.

The experts are, however, of the opinion that the failure of the government’s agencies to bring the promoters of past election violence to justice might have contributed largely to the needless and destructive show of shame recorded during last Saturday rerun in Rivers State. The rerun was marred by massive violence perpetrated by the supporters of the PDP and the APC.

This recurring incident, according to a political historian, Mr. Jimoh Balogun, has reached a disturbing proportion that demands stiff penalty for its promoters.

“Time has come for stakeholders to stop the national embarrassment called election violence to protect the nation’s democracy,” he said.

According to him, the call becomes necessary in view of the governorship polls scheduled for later in the year in political volatile Edo and Ondo states by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Balogun said violence during election could be prevented if certain measures must be put in place. He said all those involved in election management should perform their assigned roles as stipulated by the Electoral Act so as to prevent promoters of carnage from carrying out their selfish and destructive agenda.

He said, “In the first instance, the umpire must be above board and be seen to be above board. Voters have to be well educated politically; they need to be told the adverse effects of violence. The youth corps member killed during the Rivers State rerun is a great loss to the country and his family. This is an occurrence that has inflicted untoward pains in the hearts of his parents.

“Importantly, the idea that occupants of elective positions should have access to everything in the third world, including Nigeria, should be totally discouraged.”

Balogun also canvassed the need to check the mental state of security personnel before deploying them for election duties.

He said, “The police need periodic training in human relations. There are police all over the world, but it appears that Nigerian policemen are happy pulling the trigger at all time. So, the security personnel should be properly trained in civil and human relations before they are given any sensitive assignment like election monitoring or supervision.

“Then, election materials must be adequate and distributed on time. In a situation where election materials are available, workers are on ground and well trained security agents are ready, the tendency to cause violence will be reduced.

“If all the measures are put in place and some people still prefer to cause bloodletting, then they should be arrested and be made to face the full wrath of the law irrespective of their status. Anybody that violates the electoral law or the constitution should be made to pay for the offence. They should also be banned from holding any position of responsibility after they must have served out their punishment.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Onueze Okocha, urges strict adherence to the rule of law. He said there was already punishment prescribed for promoters of violence in Nigeria’s constitution, which he said should be properly applied to check perpetrators.

“There is no other way to check promoters of election violence than to arrest and promptly prosecute them accordingly,” he said.

In all the elections held so far in the country, the police have always boasted that they will arrest perpetrators of violence and prosecute them accordingly, but it took the National Human Rights Commission many months to muster the courage to set up a legal framework to bring perpetrators of violence in the last general elections to justice.

A sociologist, Mr. Benjamin Olaloye, expressed surprise that no suspected perpetrator of violence had been prosecuted one year after the last general elections, in spite of the NHRC’s legal framework.

He, however, canvassed the full implementation of the law prohibiting violence in any form in Nigeria.

Olaloye said, “The government and the police should be ready to demonstrate the will to punish election offenders to enhance the confidence of the people in the electoral process.

“The youth cannot unleash violence on the rest of the state without their backers, who are in most cases politicians, assuring them of the protection of the law.

“So, there may not be an end to election violence in Nigeria unless those promoting it are made to face stiff penalty as stipulated by the law. Of what use is the law when it is not applied when and where necessary?”

Prof. Taiwo Osipitan of the University of Lagos blamed the recurring election violence in the country on lack of political will by government to prosecute the offenders, who are most times suspected members of the ruling party.

The Senior Advocate said Nigeria does not need to look elsewhere for solution to the election violence in the country. He therefore stressed the need to put all the legal documents that deal with election offence into full implementation to check the carnage that is always associated with election in the country.

Osipitan said, “I believe there are enough materials for the prosecution of offenders in the electoral law or act. Also, the criminal code of most states also outlaws violence, assault, killing and arson. What is lacking is the courage on the part of states and the Federal Government to prosecute these offenders, that is why we advocated that we should have an electoral offences commission which is independent of the federal and state at the national level like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to prosecute electoral offenders at the centre and state levels.

“We should not leave the prosecution for those who hire political thugs, but rather we should get an independent body to prosecute offenders. When offences are committed in states that belong to the political parties of governors, the offences are not prosecuted but when we have a neutral body responsible to investigate and prosecute offenders, I believe that we will begin to move forward. Let us look for an independent body to prosecute election violence offenders.”

Mr. Tunde Bafunso was among the observers of the Rivers State rerun.

The Chairman of Justice and Equity Organisation condemned the violence that was recorded in the rerun. Urging concerned agencies to prosecute those behind the bloodletting, Bafunso expressed worry that Nigeria’s electoral system would continue to experience man-made hitches unless drastic steps are taken to salvage the process.

He said, “Something drastic must be done to stop this dangerous trend.  Honestly, Nigeria’s voters are committed and ready to abide by the rule of the game; INEC has been striving to be transparent, but the political class needs to be sensitised on the need to respect the law as a way of curbing the excessiveness that is always associated with elections in the country.

 “Electoral offenders must not be treated with kid gloves in order to salvage the electoral process and ensure the development of democracy in Nigeria.”