Towards a violence-free election

Barely 48 hours from now Nigerians will head to the polls to elect their president, senators and members of the Federal House of Representatives. While the National Assembly election is as important, it is not in doubt that it is the presidential election that has generated much concern, locally and internationally, as well as bad blood across the political parties, particularly the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

As the clock ticks, we are concerned that apprehension is high among Nigerians that the election may be marred by violence. Already, there are reports that Nigerians are making huge cash withdrawals and stocking food items and other basic needs in anticipation of the worst.

It is for this reason that we insist that all concerned parties in the election must do everything within their powers to ensure that the exercise is not only free and fair but also peaceful since it is believed that for elections to be credible, they must be free, fair and peaceful.

As such, we urge the candidates of all the political parties to guard their utterances before, during and after the election to avoid instigating their supporters to violence. It is our considered view that candidates, their parties and supporters must be ready, in the spirit of sportsmanship, to accept election results whether they win or lose. A situation where a candidate in an election consistently insists that the only way he can lose is if the election is rigged, to us, is a recipe for post-election crisis, and Nigeria cannot afford such.

Following the recent example of former Governor Kayode Fayemi in the Ekiti elections, we urge whoever loses to congratulate the winner and move on, while aggrieved candidates must seek redress through legal means and not take laws into their hands.

On this note, we recall that on January 14, all the major political parties met in Abuja to sign a peace accord, otherwise called inter-party agreement on nonviolence. At that event, Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, who was guest of honour, made the point that “the political parties, their candidates and their supporters all share responsibility for free, fair and peaceful elections, calling on political parties to “urge all your candidates and their supporters not to resort to violence if they do not win”.

“As Kenya’s politicians discovered, violence quickly gets out of hand. The election-related violence in Kenya put the country back several years and hurt everybody,” Annan said.

Recently too, US President Barack Obama called on Nigerians to peacefully express their views and reject the voices of those who call for violence, adding that no matter who wins the election, it is the responsibility of all citizens to help maintain the peace and order.

We agree. Indeed, politicians and their supporters must bear in mind that the election is not a warfare. As an analyst wrote recently, “This election is not a war between one part of the country and another. Neither is it a war between Nigeria and another country. In this election, we are not dealing with any enemies anywhere. All those contesting for political positions at all levels are bona-fide Nigerians who are only offering themselves to bear the burdens of our respective states and nation. Shorn of all the trappings and abuses, political positions are merely opportunities to serve and help lead our states or country to desired future and in essence should not cause warfare. So, all those gathering guns, machetes, explosives, fire bombs and all of such should put them away. If they must use them, then they should head to the Sambisa forest in Borno State to help rout the retreating Boko Haram insurgents who have declared war against Nigeria.”

On their part, the voting public must keep in mind that no politician is worth dying for. They must therefore conduct themselves in an orderly manner and refuse to take up arms against fellow Nigerians for the sake of any candidate. As President Goodluck Jonathan once said, no politician’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.