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Consequently, findings revealed that a number of the residents have either fled or made up their minds not to go out and vote to avoid being victims in the event that violence breaks out eventually.
Rivers State appears to top the list with the plethora of politically-motivated violence that took place in the state during the electioneering campaign. The intense rivalry between the incumbent governor, Rotimi Amechi and the PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, has no less festered the wave of violence in the state. The level of violence in the state appears alarming as the number of people that have been killed in the build-up to the election has stealthily been on the rise. Okrika, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ogu/Bolo, Obio/Akpor, Etche and Ogoni have been listed as local government areas that are prone to violence.
No fewer than 20 people were reported to have been brutally murdered in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area between November 2014 and January 2015.
The spate of murder has been largely blamed on the use of cult groups and hoodlums by power drunk politicians. Aside from other forms of attack, the hoodlums also took their bloodletting to political rallies.
In January, 24th to be specific, the All Progressives Congress governorship rally in Okrika Local Government Area came under violent attack which led to the destruction of the equipment being set up for the exercise.
The armed youths shot sporadically and threw dynamites into the National School Field venue of the party’s governorship campaign. A policeman, who attempted to repel the assailants, was hit by a bullet and later died in the hospital, while the governorship candidate of the party, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, narrowly escaped death.
Another wind of violence blew on the state on February 22, 2015, when Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, was abducted in Kaani, Khana Local Government Area.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had four of its members killed within a short period of six days. Two chieftains of the party, Mr. Ibima Olunta and Mr. Goodfellow Bobmanuel, were shot dead on the 15th of March in Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area. The two others Odinaka Wichendu and Nkanum Nwonkwo, were shot dead in Aluu community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state on the 21st of the same month.
Several persons were also injured when armed thugs shot sporadically at an APC ward-to-ward rally in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area recently.
Findings revealed that some terror -stricken natives and several strangers who reside in Port Harcourt started relocating to their home states since the beginning of the week.
Gloria Nnoke, an Ikwerre woman is one of the people that have relocated their families. In a chat The Nation, she said she relocated her family because she didn’t want to be a victim of election violence. “I am not the only one that has relocated from Omuku. The way party loyalists are parading in the area shows that there could be trouble on the election day.
“About 50 youths in the area lost their lives in the pre-election violence. I have no choice than to relocate with my children, though my husband is still there.”
As a result of the unbridled violence, The Nation gathered that many residents of Okrika have decided to stay at home on election day instead of going out to vote. There are fears among the people that the election could be hijacked by ex-militants.
During the week, a group under the aegis of Nigeria Democratic Forum (NIDAF) alerted politicians in the state that the agents of International Criminal Court (ICC) are beaming their searchlight on the troubled zones in Rivers State.
The President of the group, Comrade Obiajunwo Dike, told The Nation that the trouble makers and violent prone politicians may wish to reconsider their strategies as agents of ICC have spread their investigative dragnet to those local governments in the state identified as risk areas in this 2015 election, adding that their investigation is to ascertain the root cause of politically-motivated violence and those behind it.
However, Dame Gesila Khan, the Rivers State Resident Commissioner, has said the commission is fully prepared to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the state.
She said INEC has done their part to stabilise the state and ensure that politicians do not see themselves as enemies but as brothers and sisters. She regretted that much innocent blood had been shed and pleaded with shareholders and politicians to allow peace to reign.
“The commission is seriously concerned about the violent incidents before, during and after elections and we have been appealing to all stakeholders to prevail on our youths to shun all forms of violence and avoid being used by politicians to perpetrate acts that may lead to the disruption of the elections. The future of this nation belongs to them and therefore they must help to deepen our democratic process.”
The story has not been too different in Lagos State where political violence has been taking different forms and shapes. From the mutilation of political opponents’ posters and billboards, hoodlums suspected to be political thugs have unrestrainedly attacked convoys of party candidates, burning their campaign vehicles in the process. A number of party faithful have equally been killed in some of the attacks.
For example, three people were gruesomely murdered in Lagos Island late last year when members of the APC and the PDP clashed.
Three people were also killed early last month at Ajegunle area of the state when supporters of the two leading parties clashed; 20 people sustained different degrees of injury in the clash .
Also, in Agege, an APC supporter, Mr. Eyitayo Peters, aka Abona, lost his life on January 22 after being shot in the face on Orile Road. Another supporter, Lanre Ogunjimi, was shot in the waist in the same area.
Going by the spate of violence that has trailed the campaigns of the candidates for the Lagos-West senatorial district in the state, political watchers have expressed fears that the area is one of those to watch. Recently, the supporters of the two major contenders for the soul of area, Hon. Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) of the APC and Segun Adewale (Aeroland) of the PDP have been locked in a fierce battle .
Recently, the campaign office of Hon. Adeola came under heavy attacks. The assailants reportedly fired shots into the office damaging the rear windscreen of his Toyota Land Cruiser and the exterior of the office room.
The incident led to heated argument between the feuding candidates with Aeroland claiming that it was Yayi’s supporters that attacked his campaign team when he was passing through Yayi’s campaign office’s area.
Allegations and counter-allegations about the destruction of posters and billboards erected at strategic positions have also generated heated argument between the parties and their supporters.
While the APC on its part is saying that the PDP and its supporters have been responsible for removal of posters belonging to candidates vying on its platform, the PDP says otherwise.
Few days ago, protesters suspected to be members of the Oodua Peoples Congress heightened the tension in the state when it took to major roads in the city to demand for the sack of INEC boss, Prof Attahiru Jega. They allegedly brandished all manners of dangerous weapons and destroyed APC campaign posters and billboards they could lay their hands on. Their action created massive gridlock and apprehension in the state.
Like their Rivers State counterparts, the residents of the state have been living in the fears that the election may be accompanied by some degree of violence.
“We have heard that some politicians have armed their supporters with dangerous weapons. I am really worried by the development and that is not encouraging me to go out and vote. From what I have seen so far, there is little or nothing the security agents can do to check these people. It is unfortunate that these depraved politicians are poised to make it a do-or-die issue,” Bade, a resident of Alimosho area said.
Hounded by the orgy of violence that swept across the state in 2011, residents of Kaduna State appeared to have made up their minds that the election could be violent. Even though they fervently pray against it, the people have already started stocking their homes with foodstuff to avoid suffering from hunger if there is violence and a dusk-to-dawn curfew is imposed.
The figure of casualties recorded in the 2011 violence put the state as the worst hit by the crisis and thereby responsible for tension in the state presently.
Out of a total of 943 deaths recorded across the country in the 2011 post-election violence, Kaduna alone recorded 827. Also, all the property that was lost was put at N40.6 billion across the country, and Kaduna alone lost N23.3 billion.
One thing that makes election violence worse in Kaduna State is that, it often quickly turns religious.
This has made religious leaders in the state to be educating their members on the need to stay away from acts that could lead to violence. A cleric, Bishop Idowu-Fearon, told the residents: “We must work hard to ensure that the 2011 crisis does not repeat itself in 2015 election. We must not allow the politicians to use us to kill fellow human beings and destroy properties that people struggled to acquire.
“You cannot force a Christian to become a Muslim; you cannot force a Muslim to become a Christian. We need to tell ourselves that we do not need a Muslim or Christian President or governor. What we need is a President who fears God, whether he is a Muslim or a Christian. In Kaduna State, we don’t need a Muslim or Christian governor, but we need a governor who fears God because we are created by one God.”
Alluding to the holy books, he added: “The Bible and Quran are clear about what is expected of our leaders. They must be just, honest and accountable to the people and seek advice from the people. So let us use our Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) to elect credible leaders. Your PVCs is your power, use it wisely, and vote according to your conscience.
“If you vote for a corrupt person, a person who is not honest and just, God will ask you questions. So vote for credible leaders, and by the special grace of God, there will be no crisis in 2015 elections”, he said.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner( REC), Hussaini Ahmed Mahuta, and the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu, have assured of their readiness to ensure peaceful elections.
The REC said: “INEC has made and still making tremendous efforts towards ensuring that the general elections are free, fair and credible, and to also ensure that nobody is deliberately disenfranchised.”
In the same vein, the police assured that it will do all within the ambit of the law to protect lives and property of the citizenry, before, during and after the polls. It said it is ready to secure the lives and property of the people by deploying enough men to the field, especially the flashpoints.
But some residents, who spoke with The Nation vehemently stated: “The best way to prevent violence is to ensure free, fair and credible elections and at the end, announce result that reflects the wish of the people.”
Ekiti is another state that is feared to record some pockets of violence following its unbroken record in this regard in recent times. Whenever elections are around the corner, the residents are often afraid that the ugly trend could rear its head.
Some of the high profile assassinations that had taken place in the state in the past included the killings of a World Bank consultant, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola; an Assistant General Manager, Finance and Administration of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Kaduna State, Mr. Kehinde Fasuba; Mr. Tunde Omojola, Mrs. Eunice Omojola and Mr. Yemi Oni. One Mr. Foluso Ogundare of Emure Ekiti, was also murdered during a meeting at Ward 3 in Emure, in the Emure Local Government Area of the state.
Pockets of violence were recorded in the wake of the 2007 general election but it assumed a frightening dimension in 2009 when the court ordered the governorship rerun election.
During the rerun poll, the Ido/Osi Local Government Area office of INEC along Ipere Road in Ido-Ekiti was set ablaze by unknown arsonists.
Apart from the razing of INEC office, politicians cutting across various parties were attacked sustaining varying degrees of injury with property worth millions of naira vandalised.
A member of the defunct Action Congress (AC), Segun Ajayi, had his leg shattered by shots fired by people suspected to be political thugs.
The build-up to last year’s governorship election also witnessed lots of violence across the state as politicians and their supporters unleashed violence on one another, causing tension across the land.
As the 2015 poll draws nearer, tension has heightened in the state as all manners of violence that erupted marred electioneering campaigns by the political parties.
There have been reports of attacks on the homes of some politicians, while billboards and posters of many candidates have been vandalised by suspected thugs.
A civil servant, John Ogundare, expressed concern on the violence being unleashed by politicians through their thugs. He feared that it may scare the electorate away from polling booths.
He said: “I am seriously concerned about the level of violence witnessed in the last couple of months. Politics should not be a do-or-die affair and if the trend continues, I may not vote at the election because I value my life and I don’t want to lose it.”
Mrs. Dupe Esan, a resident of Ikere-Ekiti, said she would relocate to her hometown of Igbemo-Ekiti during the elections because of what she called “fear of the unknown”.
“Although I was registered to vote in Ikere, I will travel to my hometown two days before the elections because of the fear of the unknown.
“Nobody knows what would happen and you know that politics is always hot in Ikere here. I will come back after the elections would have been concluded”, she said.
Following the upsurge in violence, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, organised a peace meeting where parties and candidates signed an accord to maintain peace at the polls.
Speaking at the peace accord forum, Lakanu, who was joined by the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 8, Christopher Dega, said the Police would not tolerate violence during the general elections.
Lakanu, in a statement, declared that the command had made adequate security arrangement for the forthcoming elections.
“The Commissioner of Police has held series of interactive sessions/meetings with political stakeholders and traditional rulers on the need to eschew violence and ensure that their wards/supporters are not allowed to partake in any form of thuggery/violence.
“The heads of other security agencies under the aegis of Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) have assured the command of their full collaboration with the police to ensure violence-free elections in the state,” he said.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the state has commenced moves to prevent the polls from being marred by violence by organising forums to sensitize Nigerians to ensure a peaceful electoral process.
The agency urged political parties and other stakeholders to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner and avoid election-related violence which it fears may worsen humanitarian crisis in the country.
The Head of Operations, Mr. Saheed Akiode, said: “Violence is now a means used by group seeking power, by groups holding on to power and by groups in the process of losing power.
“Thus, electoral violence has been described as all forms of organised acts or threats physical, psychological, and structural, aimed at intimidating, harming, blackmailing a political stakeholder before, during and after an election with a view of determining, delaying or otherwise influencing an electoral process.”
The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikole-Ekiti Branch, Mr. Ademola Adeyemi, lamented the fact that perpetrators of violence are hardly prosecuted in Nigeria despite the provisions in the Electoral Law.
He suggested the deployment of enough security personnel to areas that have history of violence.
“Areas that have history of violence should be identified and security forces deployed there to maintain peace during elections. If adequate security forces are not available, then phased election schedule is suggested,” Adeyemi said.
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