Sights and sound of Elections 2015

ECOWAS President, John Mahama and President Barack Obama of the United States have sent messages of solidarity. Elections have become a major source of insecurity in Africa as politicians resort to desperate means either to access power or to retain it. The ongoing campaigns provide ample illustration of such desperation. Some eminent Nigerians, have been […]

ECOWAS President, John Mahama and President Barack Obama of the United States have sent messages of solidarity. Elections have become a major source of insecurity in Africa as politicians resort to desperate means either to access power or to retain it. The ongoing campaigns provide ample illustration of such desperation. Some eminent Nigerians, have been appealing to citizens to promote peace by their actions and utterances. Among them are His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.  
Another group of concerned stakeholders under the umbrella, “Council of the Wise,” have expressed worry at the gale of protests by some armed militias in different parts of the country, describing the development as “unfortunate and partisan.” They observed that the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the O’odua People’s Congress (OPC), in Enugu and Lagos respectively, had been calling for the dismissal of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, over the large number of citizens being disenfranchised by the electoral body ahead of the general elections.
Coordinator of the Council, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, visited former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta. He later told newsmen after the closed door meeting that such protests by the militant groups were “not the proper thing to do at this critical period.” Professor Gambari, who was Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative at the United Nations, said “you don’t change a referee in the middle of a game.” In view of that, he cautioned Nigerians, including the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan against making utterances that could undermine peaceful elections.
He warned that whoever plunges the country into violence by his or her action would be made to account for it at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Responding to questions from journalists, Gambari said: “Like many Nigerians, we feel concerned about this 2015 general elections. “The Council Chairman is Justice Mohammed Uwais (rtd) and we have members from each of the geo-political zones. We have been visiting past presidents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society, security forces, and INEC, of course.
“The objective is to have credible and violence-free general elections, and Nigerians want this. The international community is watching, we have five elections to be held in West Africa alone this year and Nigeria is number one.
Another group of concerned activists under the Coordinating Committee on Hate Speech organized a one-day Stakeholders’ Forum on Hate Speech at ‘Yar’adua Centre, Abuja. The Coordination Committee on Hate Speech is an open platform of organizations working and or supporting engagements to curb hate and promote peace. The objective of the Forum was to assess the situation in the context of the coming elections based on research conducted by a number of organisations and plan further strategies for curbing hate speech to reduce the possibility of violence pre, during and post elections. The event was initially scheduled for March 24 2015, but INEC had slated an important Stakeholders’ Summit on the election for the same day therefore the forum on hate speech meeting was postponed by one day. I was unable to attend the event but reports from the forum showed that the issue of hate speech by influential political party leaders and their followers dominated the agenda.
 At the last Forum meeting, we had facilitators from Kenya and the United States who shared experiences of dangerous and hate speeches recorded in other countries. The Nigerian participants cited the example of a Governor who told his campaign committee that the opposition members were political cockroaches and they should do to them what people would normally do to cockroaches. Another example cited was the advertisement carried in the print media where another politician said an opposition candidate was unfit for election because he would die in office and saddle the country with the expenses of a state funeral! Forum members condemned these inciting statements and resolved to work with all stakeholders to bring an end to dangerous and hate speeches.
After that first meeting, another inciting speech was recorded from a campaigner who told participants at a rally to stone any opposition follower who shouts a slogan demanding change.
 An interesting dimension is the role the International Criminal Court ICC has been playing in the prosecution and sentencing of those who make hate speeches and organize violence. One of the Forum’s members circulated the warning from the ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. She said ‘’Any person who incites or engages in acts of violence in the context of the upcoming elections or otherwise – including by ordering, inciting, encouraging or contributing to the commission of crimes that fall within ICC’s jurisdiction – is liable to prosecution; either by Nigerian Courts or by the ICC. No one should doubt my Office’s resolve to prosecute individuals responsible for the commission of ICC crimes, whenever necessary’.
Only recently in Cote d’Ivoire, former First Lady, Simone Gbagbo, was sentenced to twenty years’ imprisonment for crimes of election violence. As we dust our voter’s card and proceed to the polling booth, we all pray for free, fair and credible elections so that peace may return to our country.