इलेक्टोरल वोइलेंस इन NIGERIA

ELECTORAL VIOLENCE

Why should people kill in the name of politics? If politics is all about selfless service to the public and humanity why should one kill a fellow being to get serve them? If politicians are actually servants of the public, as they claimed, why should they kill their masters in a bid to serve them? Why can’t we conduct free, fair, and violence-free elections in Nigeria? Even students union and town associations elections are fraught with cases of violence. Do or die. Winning at all cost and all means possible. Must we kill to serve? If our motive is actually to offer service we don’t need to use violence to get an elective or a political office. No life is worthless and none should be sacrifice to achieve a political goal.

Agreed that politics is a struggle for power but I think it should be a war of ideologies, ideas, manifestoes, party programmes and policies. But many politicians in Nigeria today can not say what is their party’s manifesto, policy thrust or programmes, all they are interested is getting power at all cost. Ten years after Nigeria’s latest democratic experiment none of the parties can campaign based on their manifestoes, policy or programme, which simply means that for the last decade none of these parties have been able to implement its party’s manifesto or programmes. None have the courage to ask the electorate to judge them base on what they have done and vote on this basis.

What is the role of security agencies during election? Are they not supposed to keep law and order? Who do these security agents support? Whose interest are they protecting? Security agencies and their operatives are supposed to be non partisan before, during and after elections but the situation in Nigeria is the reverse. Most electoral violence and crisis have been triggered off by the activities of security agents. They look the other side when political rivals are attacked or harassed or intimidated, only to turn around and arrest the victim or weaker party. A security office that is supposed to serve as refuge for politicians in danger has turned out to be a dangerous place to run for cover in an event of violence. Security offices serve as centres for falsifying elections results, rigging, and stuffing ballot boxes. In Nigeria, the security agents are unofficial members of the ruling political party. They do everything possible to get the “official party” into office or keep the ruling party in office. In Nigeria, with the security on your side you can win any election, anywhere and any day despite the actual votes cast by the electorates. Agreed security agents have political sympathies, like every human being, but in the discharge of their constitutional duties they should strive to be as non partisan as possible.


Those who get into office through electoral fraud and violence are worst than the militants and kidnappers in the Niger Delta. The various governors in the Niger Delta are recommending death sentence or life imprisonment for kidnappers but no one has ever been jailed for electoral fraud or violence in Nigeria. We need heavy penalty for those who are involved in electoral fraud and violence as well as those who aid and abet these. Electoral fraud and violence go together. In a bid to stop an electoral fraud violence may breakout. Electoral fraud only thrives where the electorates are apathetic, docile, ignorant or fearful. But where there is resistance to electoral fraud violence is inevitable

Electoral staff who superintend over fraudulent or questionable elections should be sacked and prosecuted. Whenever and wherever election results are nullified by a court or a tribunal, the electoral staff that conducted such elections should be punished. The money that would be used to conduct rerun elections is waste and a drain on the nation’s finances. Fraud is fraud whether financial or electoral; they have almost the same effect on the country’s image and credibility in the comity of nations.

Those who are elected through a fraudulent electoral process should not assume until their matters are settled at the election petition tribunal or appeal courts. Those who assumed offices before their elections cases are sort out should refund all the salaries and allowances they collected while illegally occupying those positions. Please pardon my ignorance, I am not aware of anybody who has been jailed for electoral fraud or violence, so how do we intend to discourage these habits in our political system when there is no punishment for deviants. Those arrested for electoral fraud and violence, in the past, would only be detained by the police for some days and are set free to go on and do it again. They are regarded as those who can deliver.

Nigerians are very religious people but when it comes to politics they ask God to understand, that is, after gaining political power they would come back and reconcile with their creator. They do not remember that the Bible says it is not by power or by might but the Nigerian politician is determined to get into office by “fire for fire.” The same Holy Book says that it is God that lifted one up and brings another down as power belongs to God. It is good to have an ambition for a political office but after fulfilling this ambition what do you do with the power at your disposal. You use it to loot the common treasury, victimize political opponents, or serve the people you claimed you are representing or you claimed they asked you to represent them?

Myles Munroe says that when and where purpose is not known, established or defined, abuse is inevitable. What is the essence of a public office? It seems that in Nigerian politics those seeking political offices do not know the purpose of a public office? I think the attitude is that of “when we get to the bridge, we shall cross it.” The principle is: just get into office first and when you are there you can now decide what to do with your position: either to feed or fleece your constituents. Pecuniary interest is the driving force behind Nigerians participation in politics. They want to get their own cut of the national cake.

Is there nothing we can do to make elective and political appointment less financially attractive to reduce this violence? I may hazard a guess that why there is so much violence in our political arena is that politics is the easiest way to wealth. Just invest in a few arms and ammunitions and some thugs and when you over power your political rivals the rewards are unimaginable. Many politicians in the past who have been accused of corruption or gained notoriety by their looting capacity are walking the streets free where cell phone snatchers are dumped in jail.

We don’t need any blood to nurture or sustain democracy in Nigeria. The god of democracy does not drink blood, if there is any such god. Enough of this bloodshed! Stop this culture of political violence. Violence in the political system begets violence in every sphere of our national life, if you doubt, go to the Niger Delta or some universities where students want to get degrees by violence without working for it. Do we blame the youth? No! Because, in Nigeria, violence is an acceptable way of pursuing ones dream, ambition, vision or mission. Punishment is for those who failed to get their goals. Get into a political office first and all the sins you committed on your way to the position will be blotted out. The end justifies the means. There is need to re-brand our electoral process and political system. Re-brand the system and Nigeria will be a great brand.