Can Abuja Peace Accord stop political violence?

First, the accord was not comprehensive as it tended to rely on the existing erroneous impression that the only cause of election violence in our clime is the desperation of politicians. While not playing down on that because it is certainly a prime factor, it is obviously incorrect to think that it is the only […]

First, the accord was not comprehensive as it tended to rely on the existing erroneous impression that the only cause of election violence in our clime is the desperation of politicians. While not playing down on that because it is certainly a prime factor, it is obviously incorrect to think that it is the only factor. To do so would suggest that we do not as a nation appreciate the dubious roles of some agencies and their operatives in elections. For instance, what the officials of the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) can do and have always done to facilitate violence cannot be wished away. Thus, we should have included the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, among the signatories of the Abuja Peace Accord in the hope that he would stop his officials from colluding with anyone to instigate political violence
Leaders of our security services particularly the Inspector General of Police should also have been made to sign the peace accord. Is it not instructive that ballot boxes are still snatched at bye-elections where the police is sometimes over-provided to secure the election? By not inviting the Chief Justice of Nigeria to sign on behalf of all judges that partisan decisions would not be made before and after voting day, we merely failed to recognize that bad judges; (and they are many), do cause violence in Nigeria. Are we unaware that some candidates who are deprived of justice on the basis of technicality often resort to extra judicial means to ventilate their grievances?
Interestingly, many of the grievances are genuine-a typical example being the imposition of party flag bearers at the expense of real winners of party primaries. As our people say, an elder must allow a child he has beaten to cry. Thus, to expect that persons who were cheated out of a contest would, without violence, accept their fate with equanimity is irrational.
The point to be made is that each head of our societal institutions involved in the election process should have been brought into the peace accord to assure the nation that threat to peace would not originate from any sector. Media heads, for instance, should have been asked to sign the peace accord and assure the nation that they would neither give certain candidates political leverage during elections nor help to publicize hate campaigns. Let no one suggest that leaders of such institutions cannot, in reality cage, all their members to embrace best practices in their fields. This is because the argument would clearly expose the futility of asking presidential candidates to sign an agreement that would presumably bind their followers. As the history of elections in Nigeria has shown, no politician is ready to lose an election and no follower will allow the loss of his party in his own polling booth, ward or constituency. As a result, we can hardly avoid violence no matter the number of peace treaties signed.
Indeed, there are some elements that ordinarily relish violence hence the high level of threats in the polity in recent times.  How does any leader manage such elements? The unfortunate posture of otherwise popular leaders like Governor Fayose of Ekiti has not helped matters. The disowning of such posture by Jonathan’s campaign team was good but it is certainly not enough. The PDP should have compelled Fayose to apologize to the nation for his hate campaign. The failure to do so implies that some followers are beyond the control of their leaders or that party leaders do condone intemperate language by their followers, the celebrated peace accord notwithstanding.  So, how are we sure that those who signed the accord intended to stand by it in a nation where leaders are hardly honest with what they say? The conduct of no less than two serving governors leaves the question in the air. One of them, in his first term, told his people to stone him if he ever seeks reelection. He is about to conclude his second term without reference to his erstwhile pledge. The second one averred that he would never seek reelection because he would make the best use of one term. To simplify his position, he used the example of a school system where it is only those who fail that need to repeat. Interestingly he fought and got a second term without ‘repeating’. Why then should anyone be too sure that the peace accord would be honoured?
We can only hope that those who are genuinely committed to peace would discourage attacks on individuals during electioneering as such attacks are veritable sources of violence. That is not what our people desire now. Of course, Nigerians would be better off if the candidates can restrict their campaigns to what they intend to do for us than what their opponents did or failed to do. Unknown to politicians, the average Nigerian citizen is not as gullible as they think because our people now know which character evidence to rely upon. They are also beginning to fully understand the nature and scope of violence especially from the current testimony of Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State that those who stoned the convoy of President Jonathan during his campaign in the state were organized to do so by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. While it is hard to believe that the minister, who is himself a member of the same ruling party as the governor and president, could do that, we are however sensitized into realizing that whenever a violent incident is recorded, no one should simply conclude that it must be the handiwork of a political opponent. Incidents of inter-party violence may never be less than the intra-party ones. Thus, if we really wish to make political violence a thing of the past, we must  make politics less lucrative, otherwise peace talks would be nothing more than leaving substance to pursue shadows.