Inciting words endanger everyone

In this environment, political opponents and rival party officials hurl unflattering words at one another. Often, these skirt the bounds of decent sloganeering, degenerating into abusive words. Without exception, all the major parties are involved in this dangerous practice. But when senior public officers engage in it too, the implications can be far-reaching.  Recently, two […]

In this environment, political opponents and rival party officials hurl unflattering words at one another. Often, these skirt the bounds of decent sloganeering, degenerating into abusive words. Without exception, all the major parties are involved in this dangerous practice. But when senior public officers engage in it too, the implications can be far-reaching.  Recently, two state governors were quoted to have made statements the quality of which leaves much to be desired. Their remarks, made at different fora, are a dissonance to people’s expectation of the coming elections.
The governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was reported to described members of the opposition All Progressives’ Congress as ‘cockroaches and ants’ and asked his supporters at a rally what they would do if they saw ‘cockroaches and ants’. ‘We kill them’, they roared in response. A couple of days later, his Rivers State counterpart, Mr Rotimi Amaechi of the APC was quoted to have threatened that his party would set up a parallel government should results of the 2015 elections not match the party’s expectations.  
Shema later issued a statement saying that his words were taken out of context. That in itself is a problem, because he should know that evoking such images in an election rally largely of people who would take his words literally and act on them was a risk.  Amaechi may think that his threat was a warning to the opposition not to rig the elections, but it also sounded as an invitation civil disorder.  If the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is supported by all the parties to do its work, and is seen as not doing the bidding of the party in power, there would no need to be apprehensive about the quality of the results.
Against the backdrop of the growing tension in the polity, such comments are not helpful and only add to a climate of fear that has building up. Beyond serving as inspiration and instigation for would-be assailants of political opponents, the comments could also be interpreted as being in pursuit of an agenda of premeditated violence whatever the outcome of general elections may be.
Leadership is the process of influencing and cultivating the loyalty and assistance of others to accomplish common goals, usually of greater good for the majority of the people. Some political leaders, due to the acute partisan nature of their disposition, may not appreciate the effect of the comments they make on their followers who could take such utterances as directives that should be implemented. Such leaders are therefore expected to channel their followers in the direction of attaining goals that add value to the growth of the nation. Inciting words should not be part of their public speeches.
Political interests in any given territory may fall into rival parties and by the tenets of democracy are expected to enjoy equal opportunities of expression. Governors once elected no longer belong exclusively to any section of their statutory constituencies.
It is not for nothing that several provisions of the law prohibit electoral violence and its sponsorship. INEC officials and many other public office holders have often cautioned politicians to always toe the line of peaceful campaigns in order to give room for meaningful progress in the polity.
 The contemporary challenges facing the country are daunting enough to demand that public officers lead in the challenge of facilitating solutions, not creating problems. That is what the high public offices they occupy demand.