Despite years of assurances from the Nigeria Police Force(NPF) and the military to curb violence before, during and after elections, pockets of violence continues to rock parts of the country, as former President Goodluck Jonathan warned desperate politicians against using violent methods to win elections, saying it would portray them as armed robbers and con artists.
States like Lagos, Imo, Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and others still continue to experience election related violence since the 1999 general elections with no end in sight, as the situation has remained virtually the same every election circle.
Fast-forward to the February 25th Presidential/National Assembly Elections and the March 18th Governorship and State House of Assembly Elections this year 2023. Many observers condemned the general elections following the widespread violence and electoral irregularities that accompanied it.
In Edo for instance, the Federal Constituency election in Esan North, Esan South, and Igueben Local Government Areas, the election was postponed due to the omission of a political party’s logo on the ballot. Also, the Presidential and National Assembly elections suffered a huge setback within Benin City, the Edo State capital, as political thugs invaded voting centres and disrupted the process. Earlier the same day at Oredo Local Government Area Ward 4, the political thugs stormed the voting unit 42, shooting sporadically into the air and took away the ballot boxes at the unit.
This has been the case since inception of democratic rule (in 1999) with slight improvement as many persons have been maimed, killed, even disappeared and others hounded by desperate politicians even after elections, because of opposing political choices. The authorities on their part are not doing enough to protect the citizens rights to exercising their franchise.
Recall build up to 2019 general elections, Frank Saturday Irabor, a youth leader of Abudu Community, the administrative headquarters of Orhionmwon Local Government Area was attacked by political thugs loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for not supporting them to intimidate voters as well as carry out other electoral malpractices in the area.
Even after the elections, Frank’s house was attacked by the thugs, who destroyed his car and went on to vandalize his office. Again in 2023, just as in 2019, Frank was threatened to back out from the general elections or else he would be killed. His house was later razed down for his apparent refusal to support the APC as he was politically active campaigning for the then presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Frank was unable to campaign or vote for Atiku at the time, and since then, the youth leader, Frank, has been away from the (Abudu) community, moving from one place to another with his family for fear of being eliminated as the police could not guarantee their safety.
“As it stands, (Frank Saturday) Irabor has been hiding with his family since the 2019 attack; but he managed to come around in 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown, to distribute food palliatives to the people; Also, in 2021 when he graded some earth roads in the community.
“Since then we did not see him again, and most of us are deeply worried because we expected to see him during this year’s 2023 general elections, but he didn’t show up apparently for fear of being killed as his house was burnt down even before the election,” a family member and retired school teacher in the community, who do not want her name mentioned, told our reporter.
Recall shortly after the 2023 general elections, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, had visited some families of persons who were killed by political thugs while they cast their votes at their polling units during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state. The victims include late Festus Idahosa, 33 years old, and late Mrs. Elizabeth Owie, a 43-year-old mother of three, aged, eight, six and four years respectively. While Festus Idahosa’s family resides in Upper Sakponba, the family of the late Mrs. Elizabeth Owie lives in Ogheghe, Sapele Road in Benin City, Edo State.
Obaseki who was accompanied on the condolence visit by his Chief of Staff, Osaigbovo Iyoha and other top government functionaries, expressed sadness over the incidents in the state, assuring the families that the police have already commenced investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“It’s very sad as the young man came to perform his civic responsibility and duties and his life was cut short because of people’s perception of what power should be. It’s sad that this sort of electoral violence still happens at this stage of our development. As a government, we would put all measures in place to find out the perpetrators and find out what truly happened and make sure appropriate steps are taken for us to get to justice,” Obaseki told the grieving family. This is in spite of the 7,000 men and officers deployed before the 2023 general elections by the Edo State Police Command.
According to former Nigeria President, Jonathan, no politician would be in office forever, and therefore there is no reason to view electoral victories as a do-or-die affairs where politicians and their supporters attack their opponents for selfish interests.
“I made a statement three days ago when the parties and their presidential candidates signed commitments to peaceful elections. I would have been there personally, but for my commitment in Bamako, Mali, where I was a bit trapped. But my speech was read by Bishop Kukah, and all of us advised that the election must be peaceful.
“Politicians should know that they do not own this country. And nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian; not at all. People should not begin to think, ‘I have money, and I am contesting for senate or governor or President, and people must die because they are contesting,” Jonathan said, shortly after casting his vote at Utuoke, in Bayelsa State.
It is however important that the Nigeria security agencies rise up to the occasion to discharge their constitutional duties to protect citizens, exercising their inalienable rights to support and vote candidates of their choice in any election, starting with next year’s 2024 Edo State Governorship election.
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