By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
With the 2023 general election less than three months away, former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Akwa Ibom state, Barrister Mike Igini has tasked the Nigeria Police and other federal government security agencies to deal decisively with drivers of election violence if the country hopes to witness free, fair and credible elections.
Igini who delivered a Lecture at the just concluded Inspector General of Police (IGP) Three-Day Retreat On “Understanding The Trends & Drivers of Election Violence in Nigeria” held in Owerri, Imo state, told the gathering that clear Disregard for Rule of Law and Use of thugs by politicians enabled by Statutory Provision are drivers of election violence in the country.
He also said the use of Abusive political messages/ campaign rallies against the provisions of 2022 Electoral Act Section 91-93 (V) which prohibits such acts; Failure to deliver Ballot papers and Results sheets to Polling Units; Rigging and Manipulation of Outcome of Election help to drive election violence.
Worse, he identified the Non Prosecution of Perpetrators of Election Violence; High level of Poverty and Low Standard of living, Level of Literacy ( Awareness), High rate of Youth Unemployment, etc , as the major drivers of election violence in Nigeria.
According to the former REC, cumulative consequences of failure relevant agencies of federal government to curtail drivers of election violence in Nigeria has emboldened the new political elite formation; elite who try to grab power after second term elections, to mastermind all sorts of manipulation to undermine credible elections in Nigeria.
Igini insists that such elections after eight years are most challenging like 1983 and 2007, saying that 2015 was calm because President Goodluck Jonathan was Statemanly and did not allow his supporters to go berserk.
He however said that the combined effects of the above mentioned drivers and sustaining factors of election violence in Nigeria from one election cycle to another have led to Voter Apathy, Loss of lives and Properties among others.
Meanwhile, Igini has praised the current National Assembly (NASS) for the passage of 2022 Electoral Bill which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari to become the 2022 Electoral Act which has secured INEC in the use of technological innovations to deal with historical challenges of election service delivery, saying it marked a watershed in the preparations for the 2023 election and so shall both the Legislature and Executive be remembered in history.
He said the extant Electoral Act has fortified INEC innovations and procedures designed to deal with these identified drivers of election violence such as snatching of ballot papers/boxes, writing of election results, etc.
Igini insists that: “Those factors that have sustained election violence in the past have all been taken into account in the new Act. All that is required of key stakeholders like Nigerian Police is the implementation of the Laws of Nigeria fully, fairly, and impartially throughout the 3 phases of the Preparation for the 2023 by the Nigerian Police, leveraging on INEC innovations secured by the law to achieve a peaceful and Violence-free elections in Nigeria”.
The former outspoken REC recommended for the strengthening of ICCES-Joint Election Security Strategy (the body made up of various arms of federal security agencies) under the joint Chairmanship of INEC Chairman and IGP, saying it has proven to be an effective method of dealing with election security sun-sector of electoral process adopted in many countries.
Finally, he recommended for the Police high command that six months to a general election Commissioners of Police should not be Redeployed or Removed from their Command post except on ground of clear evidence of partisanship with political interest group. A Police Commissioner needs to know and should have sufficient knowledge of the environment and officers where he will deploy his personnel to secure the conduct of election.
Deployment of Police Commissioners to new states a month, weeks and even few days to states render them ineffective and unable to function.
In conclusion, Igini said it is proper to understand that “election is the bedrock of any electoral democracy”, adding that “regrettably election violence has been a re-occurring feature of our elections”.
Said he: “We identified the drivers of election violence and noted that lack of prosecution of sponsors and executioners of election violence has been responsible for its re-occurrence at every election in Nigeria.
“I have also made recommendations for security planning for the 2023 election based on my ten years experience of working with security agencies as an election manager of Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the future of our country is in your hands to determine, we must all work together and succeed together to have a peaceful, free, fair and credible election in 2023…..”
“Election period is the moment when the commitment of the personnel of the State to its ideals are tested, security agencies must not fail the Nigerian people and the nation. Whatever role we play, good or bad for the success or failure of the 2023 elections shall be recorded by history and so shall we all individually or collectively be remembered by history”.
