2023 general elections: Putting insecurity induced apathy in check

Voters’ apathy has remained a phenomenon in Nigeria’s profile of electoral records. Past records of elections have seen the phenomenon featuring significantly in the profiling of elections over time. Most recently, the degree of the phenomenon has taken deep turn, seeing more voters largely shunning polling stations increasingly. While many factors are known to be responsible for the syndrome, one subject which remains a strong force of caution pulling citizens back from polling units on election days has been the case of violence and insecurity, which in several circumstances have seen elections held in some polling stations turning into warfare. In fact, some zones in the Country have been known to be a warfront during voting exercises. Such acts as violent shootings, mayhem accompanied with snatching of ballot boxes, rival attacks among supporters and thugs of political parties, among other forms of violent acts have been known to be a character of elections in Nigeria. At critical times, the outcome have seen unsuspecting and innocent citizens falling victim to the aggressive showdown. The narratives have not been so pleasing to the hearing, particularly at times when armless voters have had to leave the scene of voting scampering for safety.

In as much as there are many who have stronger reasons why they would prefer to stay away from casting their votes during elections, the fear of such bellicose acts of mayhem and threats of insecurity have come to compound the resolve of why many would stand to justify their inactions to observe their obligations of voting as citizens. It is no doubt that for a change in the perspective of many, and for their disposition towards election to take a positive turn, reducing to the bearest minimum, the myriads of threats that would pull them back from the process has become necessary. This is essentially important as the Country is in a season of pre-election year.

Thus, the necessity for preparations towards an hitch-free election has become sacrosanct, particularly on security matters as the case in point.  Commenting on the necessity to see to security issues ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC)  on Monday, January 31st, 2022, called on heads of security agencies to degrade and neutralise all forms of security threats bewildering the Country. This, according to the Commission, is to avail Nigerians opportunities to exercise their franchise peacefully, as well as to enable the Commission as the guiding body to deploy personnel to conduct the elections.

The INEC National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Barr. Festus Okoye, made the call at the opening ceremony of a 2-day workshop for the Commission’s staff of Voter Education and Publicity including the heads of Departments and Publicity Affairs Officers from the Northern States on Strategic Communications and Operationalization of the Communication Policy facilitated by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES-Nigeria). He was quoted: “As we move closer to the 2023 general election, all the critical stakeholders and the security agencies must resolve to degrade and/or neutralise the security threats across the federation. Our people must be assured that they can vote in a peaceful atmosphere. The Chairman of the Commission has pointed out and consistently emphasised that the current level of insecurity in the Country remains the greatest and most potent threat to the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections in the Country. As some of you are aware, the CVR is taking place only in the 37 States and 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission. The Commission intends to devolve the CVR to 2, 673 locations as against the current 811 locations. Our inability to actualise this is on account of the security situation in most states of the Federation.

“Presently, there are two vacancies in the Zamfara State House of Assembly and one in the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The vacancy for Shinkafi State Constituency has been declared while that of Gusau 1 State Constituency of Zamfara State and Giwa State Constituency has not been declared.  The Commission is reviewing the security situation in the constituencies where these vacancies occurred and will take appropriate decision at the appropriate time. The Chairman of the Commission and the Commission will meet with the heads of the nation’s security agencies and review the security situation in the Country and determine further deployment and devolution of the CVR on a roll-out, roll back procedure.”

Importantly, it essentially behooves the government to begin to work proactively and assiduously towards the course of the general elections, bearing as the steering focus, the interest of the nation at heart. This is essential to eliminate every chance of lacunas which the sense of fear or actual penetrations of insecurity threats may pose.

The political culture informing the conduct of elections in the Country has not been too fair. At large, elections in the Country have, more often than none, been subjected to poor ratings by electoral observers over time. Such ratings have been detrimental to the image of the Country before the international system which has always taken whips on the Country for misconducts. Nigerians deserve the right to exercise their franchise by casting their votes without fear and panic — this is one of the obligations they have as citizens. Significantly, development in all its forms, be it political, socio-economic and or cultural do have bearing to the course of how people choose their representatives, particularly as it concerns a system anchored on the architecture of democracy. All necessary quarters should rise to the function of their responsibilities at the height of due diligence.