Last week, the National Security Adviser to the President, Mohammed Mungono summoned a security meeting with the 36 states’ governors. The meeting was centered on security for the forthcoming general elections. According to the NSA, plans to unleash violence in the forthcoming election were uncovered. It is discovered that some groups of people are hell bent on causing a security breach during the elections. Although the identity of these perpetrators remains sketch, elections in Nigerian are usually characterised or marred by violence. Since the inception of democratic rule, the country is yet to get her elections right. Our politicians have failed to play the game according to the rules. Notwithstanding the peace accord signed by many candidates in the country, the foul and uncouth language being used during campaign rallies have become a matter of great concern.
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Why do our politicians fail to embrace issues-based campaigns as practiced in most democratic countries? Must candidates attack their opponents before they sell their programs to the electorate? Now that the NSA has raised the alarm of likely political violence in the forthcoming election, what is the way out? If we recall clearly, in the build up to the 2015 general election, there were rumours or speculations that the country would boil. It took the Abdulsalam Abubakar’s peace and reconciliation committee efforts to prevail on the contenders to accept the outcome or result of the election. Surprisingly and interestingly, the former president, Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat and congratulated Buhari who won the election. That single and sincere action exhibited by Jonathan nipped in the bud the fear of violence that could have trailed the results of the election.
Our politicians should be blamed for the security breach before, during and after election. What about the democracy we laboured so hard to preserve? Our security agencies should work round the clock to man violence prone areas; they should identify the culprits and their sponsors. Nigerians need another round of peaceful elections. Our youths should be discouraged from getting involved in violence. Nigeria belongs to us all and its survival should be a collective responsibility.
Ibrahim Pambegua, Kaduna State
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