The frequent attacks test the resolve of INEC to conduct the 2023 election. The authorities must do more to stem the violence
On Friday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu held an emergency meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). This followed cases of arson at the INEC offices in Ogun and Osun States which led to the loss of 904 election boxes and 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). With critical infrastructure of the commission increasingly being targeted, recent attacks appear like a systematic assault meant to cripple INEC operations ahead of the 2023 general election.
Prior to this period, serial violence and arson against INEC personnel and facilities in some states, especially in the Southeast and South-south zones, had resulted in the destruction of buildings and vital election equipment as well as loss of lives. What the attacks in Osun and Ogun States therefore signpost is that the violence might be spreading to the Southwest. Those behind these acts can only be agents of anarchy and disorder who should be fished out and treated as traitors and enemies of the state. The authorities must do everything to contain this descent into anarchy.
It is noteworthy that fire incidents, ranging from arson to vandalism, are ordinarily not new to Nigeria. But these orchestrated attacks on INEC facilities present a different type of danger. In both Osun and Ogun States, according to reports, hoodlums were armed with petrol before storming INEC offices at night to set the buildings on fire. More disturbing is that the security agencies are yet to properly identify those behind these premeditated and organised attacks and what exactly their objectives are. Already, there are growing concerns about the impact of the damage on the capability of the electoral body to conduct elections under the current atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the damage being wreaked on the assets of electoral body infrastructure will impact negatively on its preparations for elections and that seems to be the objective of those behind the attacks. Yakubu had warned last year that these attacks “are no longer freak events but appear to be quite orchestrated and targeted at INEC.” He added that the violence on the commission’s property was, “targeted at demobilising and dismantling critical electoral infrastructure in the country” and to undermine INEC capacity to organise elections. He reiterated the same message last Friday. As a body, according to Yakubu, ICCES brings together agencies responsible for securing the process and ensuring peaceful elections in Nigeria. “Understandably, Nigerians expect a decisive action from ICCES. It is important that we move swiftly to apprehend perpetrators, prosecute them as required by law and reinforce security around election officials and electoral infrastructure around the country,” he said.
The attacks are particularly hurting because the financial implications of replacing lost or damaged items in the prevailing economic environment is huge. For instance, shortly before the 2019 general election, two-container load of 4,695 smart card readers were destroyed along with other sensitive materials in a mysterious fire incident at the Anambra State headquarters of INEC. In May 2021 at Essien Udim local council of Akwa Ibom, some 345 ballot boxes, 135 voting cubicles, megaphones, water tanks and office furniture were razed. The culprits in these attacks were never caught.
In the past, INEC estimated that each card reader cost N167,063 while each memory card cost N6,000. Today, the cost will be much higher, given the depreciation of the Naira against foreign currencies. So, these attacks cannot be allowed to continue.
The onus is now on the authorities to put in place measures that will forestall disruptions to upcoming electoral activities and safeguard the lives of innocent citizens. The implication of the targeted attacks is clear: If the federal government cannot protect strategic institutions like INEC, we may gradually be on our way to anarchy. While a combined technique of intelligence, law enforcement and special operations may help in containing the menace, it is also in the enlightened interest of our politicians to curb the attacks that could, if care is not taken, torpedo our democracy.
