Fear of Insecurity: Major threat against 2023 General Elections
Choosing credible leaders who will pilot the affairs of governance in Nigeria for another political season has become a course at the nose of citizens, most recently. The demands appear to be, more than ever, sacrosanct, particularly as the need to select leaders who will change the narratives of the prevailing conditions of hardship many are groping under, has become of necessity. It is no doubt that majority of the masses are currently languishing under inhumane conditions brewing from deformities of harsh socio-economic conditions in the Country.
As it has been noted that the prevailing tough conditions in the Country cannot be expunged from the crop of leaders who have manned the affairs of managing resources in the Country over time, the need to sniff for individuals with all sense of intelligence who are qualified and meritoriously fit for key positions in the Country across levels for the subsisting working structures, have become sacrosanct. As the prevailing order of the democratic setting calls for, election remains the grand instrument to effect these changes of bringing in hands to man the various elective positions, essentially those bearing reflection on the legislative and executive architectures.
In as much as it is now more demanding for citizens to assume sensitized posture to meet the demands of intelligently choosing the leaders to man the architecture of governance for another political season, as the prevailing situations warrant, it is no doubt that challenges are before hand in the processes of making these reality come forth. The profile of such challenges are such which are deep seated, ranging from administrative glitches, manifestation and contention of political forces with the vagaries of the harsh and belligerent posture of the political climate, to other deep seated socio-economic variables. Of these waves, the scourge of insecurity has been one subject of concern bearing the string of fear not only for citizens, but for organised groups such as civil societies, also for the organising regulatory bodies and other officiating stakeholders, including security operatives themselves, not to exclude political parties.
The bane of insecurity over time has brought-on a lingered sense of panic across different parts of the Country. As of degree, while some parts of the Country still enjoy relative peace, those worse hit with security threats have become red zones threatening human coexistence. The scourge of terrorism and banditry have left such zones as the Northeast and Northwest troubled region. Other zones as the Southeast and Southsouth have not been spared from the tension of rising concerns of secessionist movements and agitations. Even those parts believed to be enjoying relative peace as in the Southwest, have recently been having their fair share of rising threats as kidnappings, among other localised threats as robbery, cultism, gangsterism, among others.
The deep reflection of these are prevailing signals that threaten peaceful electioneering processes. Reflecting on this, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has lamented insecurity in the country, identifying it as the biggest threat to the 2023 General Elections. This is just as the body called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain apolitical in its mandate, calling on electoral commissioners who are card-carrying members of the ruling party to step down in order to avoid malpractices in the election.
CAN President, Revd. Samson Ayokunle, had on Tuesday night when a delegation of the European Union led by the EU Chief Election Observer, Ms. Maria Arena, met with the leadership of the apex Christian body in Abuja, said CAN was disturbed by the negative situation whereby the security of lives and properties could no longer be guaranteed across the Country. The EU team had sought to know CAN’s position concerning the preparation of all the stakeholders — the Independent National Electoral Commission, the security agencies, and the political parties — towards the forthcoming elections next year. The CAN President had lamented that the security situation in the country might prevent a credible, free, and fair election, if voters were not allowed to go out to exercise their franchise, because of fear of being harmed, kidnapped, or killed.
“We call on the Federal Government and the security agencies to wake-up to the security challenges in the Country where the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers are operating with impunity and nowhere is safe and secure again. If the trend continues, many voters may not participate and the outcome of the election may not be credible. We have been struggling with this situation now for the past 13 years, yet, we are still where we are,” the CAN President quoted.
It would be recalled that on Monday, 1st, February, 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had expressed worries over the challenges that insecurity may pose to elections in 2023, if not addressed. The INEC National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Bar. Festus Okoye at the opening ceremony of a two-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 Operationalisation of the Communication Policy facilitated by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES-Nigeria), had said: “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 emphasized 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.”
The need to reduce, to the bearest minimum, glitches that may prevent Nigerians from performing their civic rights is pertinent. Participating in electoral processes, culminating in voting exercise of franchise, is a right and an obligation citizens must perform for the running of democracy to take sensible course. Any threat against such remains counterproductive to the democratic climate, and as such must be cleared-off the track. Since, the Government must assume a custodial position of sustaining the system, it behooves the government to scale up actions to the height of positive disposition to eliminate all threats as insecurity which may pose resistance against the opportunity of Nigerians to exercise their civic right and as such fulfilling their obligation as bona fide citizens of the Country, as demanded under a democratic setting which Nigeria claim to practice.
