The frenetic presidential campaigns and advertisement blitzkrieg by political parties will tomorrow culminate in an election that will launch us into the 21st year of the nation’s democracy.
However, there are some unhealthy developments in the election process that we should not allow to undermine the majesty of this thing called democracy, which has been generally rated above authoritarian rule. One of such ugly occurrences is violence instead of fanfare at political rallies.
Political rallies by some of the different political parties ended up in disarray when thugs invaded the scene and unleashed violence on innocent citizens. The most recent was that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abeokuta at which the first citizens of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo were present. Images of security men providing shield and cover for Mr. President, which were captured on video and which went viral, were scary and to say the least, disappointing. How and why should party stalwarts and their thugs throw stones at the president in a rally where ideas for the country’s development were supposed to be canvassed?
Behold, national security was at risk while the macabre incident lasted. Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s strident calls for his supporters not to embarrass him during the rally fell on deaf ears. He himself had prepared the ground for such a detestable behaviour by his angry supporters. There was violence of sorts in Imo and Rivers states respectively as well, leading to loss of lives and injuries. At the core of these acts of violence is seething anger over perceived injustice – a dent on internal democracy values.
A cursory examination of the incidents shows that the parties are yet to get their act together in terms of internal democracy. The culture of impunity, which politicians inherited from the military appears to have taken hold of their imagination. This is reflected in the selection of candidates for political posts. Some candidates have been imposed by godfathers, making it impossible for the rank and file of the party to have a real say in who gets what. At other times, external interests have been involved.
What is worse, governors who have no regard for party rules have an unusual and unhealthy interest in who succeeds them and therefore try to twist or buy the process in their favour. Sometimes, they fail to achieve this and decide to field their candidates in other parties. This is an anomaly that can’t deepen democracy. The same problem of lack of ideology continues to haunt the parties. When the governors have their way, it sometimes becomes a theatre of the absurd, a farce of deviant proportions. How else can we explain a departing governor who wants his son, son-in-law and other close kith and kin to pick the batons? This is an insult to the collective will of the people. It is against this background that we can understand what actually transpired at the MKO Stadium in Abeokuta when Mr. President went campaigning.
Yet, as we have repeatedly stated, violence is not the answer. Violence and the use of brute force are antithetical to the principle and practice of democracy. Democracy is a contest of ideas. It is all about winning the hearts and minds of the people, the electorate who are indeed sovereign in the equation. Those who are aggrieved by party decisions are advised to go to court and seek redress. The first line, however, is to explore the internal mechanism within the party to correct a perceived infraction of the rules.
Political rallies ought to be peaceful even if boisterous and celebratory. Different wings or branches of the same party come in with their music and entertainers, ostensibly to whip up confidence and cheer. At political rallies contestants and candidates are expected to present their programmes in order to convince the electorate. Both party faithful and others are allowed to attend rallies.
In the First and Second Republics, Nigerians of different and divergent ideological persuasions attended rallies sometimes to just listen to the power of oratory. Indeed candidates visited villages, towns and cities to persuade people. These days the presidential candidates confine themselves to state capitals, thereby increasing the distance between them and the electorate. This is not a credit to democracy!
Rallies should be kept safe for all. Sadly, in the stampede at the APC rally in Port Harcourt, some citizens lost their lives. This is sad. It is an unnecessary shedding of blood in what ought to be a peaceful exercise. If the president had been injured by scoundrels in Abeokuta, it could have resulted in a conflagration the end of which we may not know.
This newspaper would like us to recall that the widespread violence, which later engulfed the entire Western Region in the 1960s started as an internal affair. When it ended, the military had taken over even the Federal Government. We fought a war and millions of lives were lost. Politicians should therefore think about the potential consequences of their actions before embarking on them. The APC leadership has promised to deal with the main protagonist of the scandalous behaviour at Abeokuta.
Whether by design or default the political parties should not create an atmosphere of suspicion through manipulation of the process. It is such acts that often trigger violent reactions, which we have firmly condemned.
Violence begets violence. No life should be sacrificed for the sake of power. The parties need to exercise restraint and show discipline to their followers. No inflammatory statements must come from leaders. No true leader in a political process should arm supporters with guns or machetes to threaten people.
Therefore, as we go to the polls tomorrow, let peace, justice, fairness and equity be our watchword. There must be no rigging. Leaders in all the parties should instruct their wards and stalwarts that the wish of the people as expressed through the ballot box must be respected. Both the international community and local groups are watching and monitoring the process. Let all parties respect the power and decision of a free and fair ballot box. The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies must be above board and avoid creating room for despair and a resort to self-help. INEC must not only be independent, it must be seen to be independent. Policemen and soldiers should not yield themselves as agents to any of the contending forces. The people should be ready to guard their votes after voting. That way the true results will be respected and we would be sowing the seeds for a solid democratic tradition. In the same vein, presidential candidates who have signed a peace pact should respect that covenant with the people. Finally, the security agencies should be proactive in the days and weeks ahead. It should be possible to preempt outbreak of violence and nip it in its bud.
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