With the processes leading to the 2023 general elections gathering momentum, political stakeholders across the South-West have unanimously called on the three tiers of government to curb all acts of political violence and thuggery.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Ilorin, Osogbo and Abeokuta on Sunday, they said violence, known to usually greet such exercises in the past, must be curtailed for the elections to be free and fair.
They feared that thuggery and violence might disrupt the general elections, if not nipped in the bud early.
Commenting, Mr Ezekiel Ayobami of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Oyo State, said that part of the agency’s assignments was to ensure sufficient and consistent mobilisation of citizens to act in ways that promote national peace, harmony and development.
According to Ayobami, with this mandate, it behoves on the agency to play its roles effectively, especially now that the political campaigns have officially started.
Playing this role, he said, would go a long way in curbing electoral violence during the campaigns, election days and post-election period.
Ayobami said that the agency, in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant stakeholders, had commenced sensitisation across the 33 local government areas of the state.
“What our sensitisation focusses on are to orientate the people, especially youths, on the need to avoid being used as thugs by unscrupulous politicians.
“We are engaging youths leaders in various communities, admonishing parents and guardians to prevail on their children and wards, to refrain from thuggery.
“We also let the public know that voting during elections is the civil responsibility of everyone, especially eligible electorate.
“We also orientate leaders of political parties and their candidates on the need to be careful of their actions and those of their followers; to involve security agencies during their campaign outings and let their activities be guided by rules and regulations,” he said.
In her contributions, Mrs Alaba Adeniyi, Head of Publicity, INEC, Oyo State, said that the commission had engaged critical stakeholders as part of the efforts to have violence-free campaigns.
“Apart from regular media programmes, where the commission reaches out to the general public on its activities, we, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), engage voter education providers, comprising members of civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
“Such engagement and others were to counter misinformation, disinformation and hate speech by laying the fact bare before the voting public,” Adeniyi said.
In addition, she said the commission, in partnership with the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), work on respective political parties to reorientate their followers on better ways to campaign without resulting to violence.
In Ado-Ekiti, Mr Odunayo Adesola, a Political Scientist, said that injuries and casualties resulting from political violences should be avoided in the build-up to the 2023 elections.
Adesola cautioned politicians in various political parties to be above board in the interest of the nation, by discouraging the recruitment, camping and funding of political thugs.
He warned that stockpiling of arms and ammunition should also be discouraged.
Commenting, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere, Grand Imam of Ekiti and Grand Imam for South-West States, Edo and Delta, called on parents to ensure that their wards do not stray into political violence and thuggery.
According to him, parents must be ready to bear the enormous responsibility of instilling discipline in their children and ensuring their moral upbringing.
Kewulere maintained that majority of the acts of violence perpetuated during political campaigns, were carried out by youths due to monetary inducement or compensation.
According to him, parents should properly educate their children to know that future of the country is in their hands, hence they should avoid doing anything capable of jeopardising the country’s existence and survival.
“It is also the responsibility of religious leaders to use their sermons to preach peace, unity and tolerance among youths, so that they will behave well and eschew political violence and thuggery,” he said.
Kewulere enjoined couples to learn to respect their marital vows, so as to avoid unnecessary frictions in their marriages, having identified majority of violence perpetrators as products of broken homes and lacking parental care.
However, Mrs Bosede Adeleye, the Coordinator, Society for Positive Change, warned politicians to refrain from indulging in any act of violence while carrying out their campaigns.
Adeleye said it was a common practice among some politicians and candidates of various political parties to allegedly set aside funds for perpetration of violence as part of their campaign plans.
She then enjoined candidates of parties to adopt issue-based campaigns and be tolerant and peaceful in the overall best interest of the nation.
“Violence will not give any positive result, but calamities, and as the nation is again passing through another difficult period, engaging in any act of violence or thuggery will only compound the difficulties already on ground,” she said.
Adeleye said her organisation was working on modalities and strategies toward sensitising politicians and youths on the need to play the game according to the laid down rules and regulations.
Also, a Political Scientist, Mr Clement Ajayi, said that electoral violence had received increased international attention in recent years due to the devastating outbreaks of violence in Nigeria and some African countries each time they held elections.
Ajayi said the notion of violence-free elections, in terms of free, fair, credible and acceptable polls, had been eroded, and now serving as the benchmark for measuring the legitimacy of elections.
According to him, elections are the key elements of democratic processes, which provide for transparent and peaceful change of government and distribution of power.
Electoral violence, he said, could, however, be seen beyond its direct effects, such as hindering people from casting their votes and preventing candidates from participating in elections.
“All of these indices are tantamount to having long-term effects of causing disillusionment and frustration in the process,” he said.
In his views, a political analyst, Mr Benjamin Abefe, said with political campaigns intensifying by the day, the nation’s security needed to be adequately reinforced by all levels of government.
“In a country already characterised with insecurity, in form of banditry, kidnapping and abduction, I think the government needs to be very proactive in giving security agencies the desired backing, both morally and financially,” he said.
Abefe also advised security personnel to imbibe professionalism in their conduct, especially during the campaigns and the elections proper.
He cautioned them against hate speech, which he identified as capable of heating up the polity.
A parent and lecturer, Mrs Deborah Akuh, advised youths and even fathers, who are now, allegedly, found among thugs, to shun all negative tendencies, including electoral violence of all sorts.
Akuh enjoined the places of worship and public institutions to sensitise youths to shun violence in politics.
According to her, this accounts for the reason the elderly politicians are unable to see the seriousness in the nation’s youths taking up key roles in leadership.
“Youths should begin to see themselves as potential leaders of tomorrow and put themselves in positions of honour, so that people can know they are ready to be real leaders of tomorrow.
“Youths should show genuine interest in politics and be conversant with the provisions of the Electoral Acts for them to know the dos and don’ts that can either move them up or lead them to the prison quarters.
“They should turn their backs at the inappropriate request by politicians for evil sponsorship, during, before and after elections,” the lecturer said.
Akuh appealed to politicians to stop using youths for evil vices and groom them positively to become leaders of tomorrow.
“Using youths for evil vices is not helping to improve values in our youths, but rather, the morals and values of these youths continue to deteriorate in an alarming rate.
“A situation where a fellow youth sees his mate becoming a thug for politicians, and he is able to buy cars, build houses and have some money to spend lavishly; while the one, who graduated with good grades from school is unable to secure a good job, is a sad tale to tell in Nigeria of today.
“It has also been discovered that using youths as thugs give them free time to consume drugs and for the addicts among them to use illicit substance without fear of being arrested by the police,” she said.
In Akure, Mr Israel Ayeni, the Secretary, Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, urged the state government to introduce continuous education of the citizens to correct the barbaric act of electoral thuggery.
Ayeni, however, suggested that political parties should be held responsible for any violence perpetrated by their members, claiming that political thugs were either registered members or employed staff of political parties.
“Political parties involved in thuggery or violence should be automatically suspended from the race after due investigation is carried out by the appropriate security outfits. A special security can be established for this purpose.
“The love for the country should come first; we are first Nigerians before becoming members of any political party.
“Political party may fold up, but we must protect the integrity of our nation by protecting lives and property. Where is the almighty NPN today? What about AG and AD?
“This is why I say that continuous education is key,” he said.
The IPAC secretary, who categorically said that acts of thuggery during elections should be criminalised, said that no political party must have influence on the panelists or security outfit set up for the purpose.
“Capital offence with capital punishment should be introduced,” he said.
Also, a Communications expert, Mr Ike Ogbonna, called on media personnel and journalists to ensure that they do not heat up the polity before, during and after the elections.
Ogbnonna urged journalists to, as a matter of necessity, adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession.
“In order to avoid trouble and editorial violence, journalists should avoid personal ideas and comments in their stories.
“If possible, avoid any position that will make you become biased in your reporting.
“Some of us will be offered positions like media assistants and the likes for the campaigns, but we must understand that these things only put us at risk of becoming unprofessional.
“Remember the ethics of the profession and adhere to it in fairness and with the fear of God.
“Dignify your profession by dignifying yourself. Do not let anybody jeopardise your career; as they will make up later after the elections. It is you who will become unsafe,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Charles Adeyemi, the Executive Director, Nigeria Development Front (NDF), said that continuous sensitisation of Civil Society Coalitions, Faith-based organisations and Non State Actors, would help to checkmate electoral violence and thuggery.
Adeyemi said that the training and retraining of stakeholders on the dangers of electoral violence would go a long way in curtailing the menace.
He said patriotic media reportage of electoral events that discredit thuggery and touting should be done alongside the reorientation of young people, who are key players in the electoral activities.
Adeyemi also called for peace accord meetings in resolving disputes among the stakeholders through negotiations and mediations, before, during and after elections.
Also, Mr Deji Adejare, a political analyst and social commentator, said that checkmating electoral violence and thuggery in our political space depend on the politicians.
Adejare said that politicians unfortunately see politics as a do-or-die affair or a win-at-all-cost game.
According to him, as long as there are willing tools (thugs) around, politicians will continue to engage them to achieve their selfish interests.
He said that Nigerian politics had always been synonymous with violence and thuggery, due to the fact that politicians believed in using force, fear and intimidation to cow their opponents into submission.
Adejare said the new Electoral Act could do little or nothing to stop desperate politicians from employing their old tactics of intimidating the electorate or opponents in order to disenfranchise them.
He, however, urged the electorate to be wise to know politicians with good intentions from the tactics they were employing during their electioneering campaigns.
According to him, security agencies should be informed and engaged by political parties during their campaigns.
He said that most political thugs were well connected to politicians in power, thus making it difficult for security agents to prosecute them.
Adejare, therefore, advised parents to admonish their children not to allow desperate politicians to make use of them for their selfish gains.
In Abeokuta, a security expert, James Adetiba, said that electoral violence had, for long, been a feature of elections in Nigeria due to the winner-take-all nature of Nigeria’s elections and politicians.
According to Adetiba, this evil often arises from clashes among supporters of political parties, attacks on existing or aspiring politicians and disruptions at campaign rallies.
He stressed the need to develop ways of checking electoral violence in order to build a strong, democratic and peaceful society; one that is based on the rule of law and transparency.
Also, Mr Kamil Abolade, the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abeokuta branch, identified unemployment, idleness, poverty and the harsh economic situation in the country as impetuses for political violence.
Abolade called for political education by NOA and other relevant agencies to convince youths to see their lives as worth more than being used as political thugs.
“These youths have realised that if they follow politicians everywhere, especially during campaign period, they will be given money. Sadly, most of them only look at the gain and do not think of the harm,“ he said.
The NBA chairman also urged parents and guardians to ensure they instil moral values in their wards at an early stage and to also offer them quality education.
“Also, NOA should go on educating people on reasons why they should not engage in such activities. They should create awareness to let them know the negative effects of violence and thuggery,” he said.
Commenting, Mr Sunkanmi Oyejide, the Youth Leader, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun, said that some politicians hired the services of political thugs, knowing that they were not popular and could not win elections.
“Some politicians that are not popular will not be comfortable with the conduct of a free and fair election, hence, they often engaged the services of artisans and unemployed youths to disrupt political process,” Oyejide said.
He added that such menace could be curbed through collective responsibility.
“The political parties, through the offices of their youths leaders, should be educating the young constituency and get them involved constructively and positively in their programmes,” he said.
Also, Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde, the Secretary-General, Ogun Muslim Council, said it was sad to acknowledge that electoral violence had been part of Nigeria’s democracy since the First Republic.
Akintunde explained that the menace had often resulted into human and material loses and had continued to hinder the growth of the nation’s democracy.
To check the menace, he called for attitudinal change on the part of the politicians, urging them to play by the rules for Nigeria’s democracy to be deepened.
“There must be patriotism on the part of all stakeholders and the umpire must be unbiased by creating a level playing field for all,” he said.
Also, Mr Kazeem Abiodun, a Peace expert, told NAN that absence of political parties with defined and quality ideologies was a major cause of electoral violence in the country.
Abiodun said that there would be no need to hire thugs to disrupt electoral process, if such political parties existed.
“The kind of government system that we run in Nigeria allows high level of corruption to thrive, because of improper system of accountability, hence, people are desperate to occupy public positions.
“Also, the politicians are taken advantage of high level of poverty in the country, as they can easily manipulate poor people and use them to perpetrate their selfish interests at little cost.
“It is necessary for us to redefine our political structure and system, promoting that which will be driven by ideologies rather than money.
“We play money politics in Nigeria and it is not encouraging.
“There is need to make political offices less attractive. It will mean that whoever wants to get to power is going there to serve the people and not to steal.
“We need to have proper checks and balances with effective anti-graft agencies that will ensure accountability and prosecute corrupt leaders,” he said.