Kingsley Nwezeh looks at the performance of the security agencies in the last presidential and National Assembly elections, and the expectations of the citizenry in the governorship and state assembly polls, scheduled for March 11
The Armed Forces, had, ahead of the elections, promised the nation secured polls by ensuring adequate deployment of personnel and assets across the country.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Lucky Irabor, had, severally, restated the commitment of the armed forces to ensure violent-free polls “before, during and after the elections” with the Nigeria Police as the lead security agency.
The military high command had also provided support for civil authorities through the Nigerian Air Force, by airlifting electoral materials to different parts of the country, following an agreement with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Buhari’s Assessment
President Muhammadu Buhari, Friday, showered praises on the Armed Forces of Nigeria for their performance in the just-concluded presidential elections. Speaking at the inauguration of Made-in-Nigeria Askok Leyland Troops Carrying Vehicles at Nigerian Navy Holdings Limited, Asokoro, Abuja, Buhari commended security agencies for maintaining law and order during the elections.
Buhari, who inaugurated the vehicles virtually from Daura, Katsina State, said sacrifices of the armed forces remained appreciated by Nigerians. He commended the patriotic role the agencies played in maintaining law and order at the just-concluded polls.
President Buhari, while inaugurating the 700 Ashok Leyland Troop Carrying Vehicles assembled in Lagos, from his country home, Daura, pledged more support for the welfare of the military, while assuring that their “labour will not be in vain”.
“I wish to commend the resolve of our armed forces towards the defeat of insurgency and its support in maintaining law and order as was demonstrated in the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections. I want to assure you all that your labour will not be in vain. The administration will continue to support you in every respect, including improving your welfare,’’ he reassured.
Different Views of Election Observers
But while President Buhari extolled the armed forces, civil society organisations and international election monitoring groups had different views.
It would be recalled that violent activities were pronounced before the election in Enugu with the assassination of the Labour Party’s senatorial candidate, Oyibo Chukwu, while the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, has since been remanded in prison over the killing of three persons in Kano linked to him on the election day.
There were also similar cases of electoral violence in Rivers and Lagos states during the presidential poll.
A report produced by the European Union (EU) on the conduct of the presidential election said “both, security agencies and media recorded violent attacks on polling units, and harassment of voters in at least 16 states, with Lagos, Kano, Rivers, and Imo reportedly being the most affected. INEC cancelled elections in seven polling units in Kogi and suspended voting in 141 units in Bayelsa, while audio-visual materials in the media and online indicated a much larger scale of no-voting or disruptions due to security problems and extremely late dispatch of election materials.
“On 26 February, voting continued in some polling units in at least six states. INEC did not provide comprehensive information on how many polling units had no or delayed voting, nor did it offer a clear solution on how to ensure the right to vote nationwide”, he said.
Another report on the election produced by the International Republican Institute (IRI) on election security, with more emphasis on pre-election violence, said election-related violence significantly marred the pre-election period.
“According to analysis of Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) Project data, in 2022 there were almost twice as many acts of violence compared to the same period before the 2019 elections. The trend continued in January 2023 where records of election violence were higher than any previous month.
“From April 2022 through election day, there were at least eighteen reported assassinations or assassination attempts against candidates and party leaders, including targets from all major parties.
“In at least 11 separate states and the FCT, a rash of attacks on INEC facilities, voter registration events, and personnel were reported in the pre-election period, with the highest concentration of attacks in Imo and Enugu (in the South-east) and Osun (in the South-west).
Such attacks could have impacted voter participation in certain regions and raised serious concerns about the ability of INEC to hold elections in affected areas, especially given the destruction of voting materials such as PVCs”, it said.
The NRI affirmed that election violence was exacerbated by intra-party disputes in the primaries, shifting political landscapes, the rise in armed actors, the emergence of new informal security elements in Nigeria, and persistent failure to hold perpetrators to account.
It said groups like Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its factions reportedly attacked INEC facilities, election officials, and political party candidates and officials across the South-east. Informal security elements engaged directly in election violence, including attacks on candidates.
“The rise in non-state armed groups contributed to a greater “fog of war”, making it easier for political actors to employ such groups to conduct attacks in such a way as to create a degree of plausible deniability as to who was responsible.
“Despite significant efforts by Nigerian civil society actors to counter violence through efforts such as the youth-led “Vote, Not Fight campaign and the national peace accords, candidates and political party leaders have failed to lead by example and impunity for electoral offenses remains a major hurdle”, he said.
On its part, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) said the general conduct of the election across the country was peaceful in most parts, as voting occurred without recourse to violence. Notably, this was also largely occasioned by the deployment of security personnel across the country.
“Despite these gains, TMG in some cases, observed incidences of voter intimidation and suppression, particularly in Lagos and Rivers States. In Lagos for instance, voters were threatened by thugs to vote for a certain party and candidate or stay away from voting completely. “Voter intimidation and suppression were also evident in the violent conduct and disruption of polls as recorded in these two states where political thugs carted away, burnt, and destroyed election materials,” it said.
Other civil society organisations also contended that the armed forces did a good job of securing the election.
A civil society organisation, Election Monitoring Coalition (EMC), commended the conduct of personnel of the Armed forces of Nigeria during the presidential and National Assembly elections.
The coalition said its men on ground specifically went out to assess the conduct of the Armed Forces last Saturday and found them to have carried out their responsibilities with high ethical standards.
Director of the group in charge of Monitoring, Bello Yahuza and Director, Politics, Yewande Amusa, said reports from different parts of the country indicated that the Armed Forces kept to its promise and indeed not only was apolitical, but collaborated with other security agencies.
“Investigations on promises by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, that the Armed Forces will not only remain apolitical, but will totally collaborate with the relevant security agencies in ensuring peaceful elections, assess conduct of the elections in areas with security challenges and determine the worthiness of insinuations that the military was going to play a biased role. Generally observers reported that the security personnel behaved and conducted themselves professionally,” the group said.
The election monitoring coalition, also commended Irabor for building a military with enviable records, especially in conduct during electioneering period.
The coalition also applauded the peaceful conduct of polls in the North-east and South-east, saying nobody thought it would have been possible in the two regions.
“We note how troops nullified attempt by terrorists to disrupt elections in Mandara Mountains in Gwoza, Borno State, in Gombe soldiers recovered two ballot boxes from thugs, who snatched them from the Government Science Secondary School in the Jekadafari area of the state.
“Across the country, it is a story of professional conduct by troops, this indeed is commendable.
“EMC want to say without any reservations that the Armed Forces of Nigeria scored almost 100 percent in the presidential elections, and we are certain that they will continue like that in the March 11, 2023 elections,” it stated.
EMC, however, urged contestants in the remaining elections to play by the rules and accept the results in the interest of the nation.
There were, indeed, violence before and during the election that led to loss of lives in Enugu, Imo, Rivers and Kano.
As we approach next Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections, the security agencies are encouraged to be more diligent in ensuring adequate security before, during and after the elections.
