Towards peaceful and credible elections in Yobe North

With 12 years of uninterrupted democratic experience, it is expected that politicians and electorates must have learnt some basic rules of democracy, good governance and service delivery. Here lies the beauty of democracy which gives the electorate the opportunity of returning back public officers who have performed and, voting out those who failed to redeem […]

With 12 years of uninterrupted democratic experience, it is expected that politicians and electorates must have learnt some basic rules of democracy, good governance and service delivery.

Here lies the beauty of democracy which gives the electorate the opportunity of returning back public officers who have performed and, voting out those who failed to redeem the promises they made.

Our experience in the past when elections were seen as a do-or-die affair with innocent souls killed, people maimed and properties razed down, is still a major source of concern to electorate across the country.

Despite the challenges, Yobe North had remained a peaceful electoral constituency during the previous elections. Politicians have respect for each other, just as the electorates appreciate themselves in spite of their political differences.

The introduction and use of “security attaché” by a elite during elections in Yobe North, however, in the last few years has become a source of worry and fear among politicians and electorate alike, as the next round of elections draw nearer.

The good intention of the federal government providing security to deserving elite has apparently been abused by the beneficiaries of this benevolence.

The people of Yobe North have laid strong allegations against some elite for using their security attaches to harass, intimidate and disrupt elections process.

In Gashua for instance, we were not used to election violence until in 2007 during the National Assembly and Governorship elections when some people used their personal security aides in attempts to subvert the elections.

Happily, we vehemently resisted the move afters some, an opinion leader in Gwoi-kura ward in Gashua mobilized the people to remain at the polling booths till the results were counted.

There were many allegations. In fact, some were verifiable that security men attached to retired military and police officers were particularly fingered in harassing the people, threatening peace and peaceful conduct of the election in and around Gashua.

Apart from creating confusion and disrupting peace, the partisan posture of the security men provided hoodlums with the opportunity to wreak havoc, cause confusion and loot the property of innocent people, because it was an opportunity they were waiting for.

The Friday, January 7, 2011 episode still remains fresh in the minds of the people of Gashua when the PDP National Assembly Primary Election had to be shifted following alleged scuffle between party delegates and security attaché to a retired army general.

The delegates who alleged interference by the security men vowed to resist manipulation, a development which created tension, thereby threatening peaceful conduct of the primary and its eventual postponement.

Wakil Sabo and others were left injured in their attempt to resist the use of brutal force by the security operatives in the PDP’s “democratic process”. Opinion leaders, politicians and parents in the area have condemned the unfortunate incident describing it as totally unnecessary and avoidable.

With the growing political awareness among the people, it is evidently clear that, more voters would put up a lot of resistance against any attempts to subvert their choice of leaders in the forthcoming election. This seeming trend of abuse of privilege by the elite must, therefore, be checked by all relevant authorities to avoid increased casualties.

President Goodluck Jonathan was quoted to have said that his aspiration for the presidency is not worth the life of any single Nigerian. This is an encouraging declaration because there is no reason for retired officers who claimed to be democrats to subject their people to agony by disrupting elections.

Dumbari and Tasi villagers in Jakusko are typical examples of the places where desperate politicians went and molested the indigent people by using security personnel. In Yusufari Local Government Area, many villagers equally went through the same agony. This is very unfortunate.

For the record, the Chief of Army Staff had recently warned soldiers not to get close to polling units and polling booths, rather, they should ensure the security of lives and property of the Nigerian people.

I wish to call on the State Security Service (SSS), the Police, traditional authorities, local and international observers to check the excesses of some desperate elites and politicians who would deploy the state apparatus and thugs to perpetrate electoral fraud so that at the end of the April elections, Nigerians would have all the reasons to smile.

If we are determined to correct the mistakes of the past and to conduct internationally recognized elections, the provisions of the amended Electoral Act must be applied holistically with offenders facing the full wrath of the law which is explicitly clear.

I wish to also suggest that the military and the police should deal with their personnel who allowed themselves to be used in perpetrating illegality, thereby dragging the name of their institutions in the mud.

Musa Baballe writes from no A12 Gwoi-kura Ward, Gashua, Yobe State, [email protected]