THE revelation by the Independent National Electoral Commission that more than 1,146 persons, including its employees and security agents, were killed in elections since 2011 demonstrates the violent nature of Nigeria’s electoral process. Within the same period, the commission said there were 42 attacks on its offices and staff. As politicians strategise for the 2023 electoral cycle, extra efforts should be made to stamp out the odious phenomenon of violence against election officials and during elections.

Regarded as one of the hallmarks of democracy, elections, apart from facilitating peaceful change of government, also confer legitimacy on the government and the system. A study published by the India Quarterly, published by the Indian Council of World Affairs, said elections ideally “represent the sovereign will of the people.” Invariably, where violence, intimidation and fear are present, an election loses legitimacy and violates the people’s will. Nigeria has a long, sordid history of electoral violence. This contributed greatly to the collapse of the first and second republics. Unfortunately, it has marred the Fourth Republic too.

It reared its ugly head recently when in broad daylight, an INEC official was killed by gunmen who attacked a Continuous Voter Registration Centre in the Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State. Such attacks, featuring killings, disruption of voting, ballot box snatching during elections, destruction of INEC’s property and other crimes, constantly mar Nigeria’s democratic experience.

The Strategic Plan 2022-2026 released by INEC recently, revealed that the South-East has become the epicentre of the attacks on its property and staff. Regrettably, 20 out of the 42 attacks happened in the five states in the region, with Imo having eight, the highest in the country.

Election violence occurs worldwide. Even in established democracies, says the Open Nuclear Network, a US non-profit, election violence, though rare, can arise from bitter partisan competition or provoked by an incumbent who deliberately encourages violence to suppress opposition such as Donald Trump did in 2020. Its database revealed worldwide, 33 percent of national elections in 2020 were marred by violence.

In Nigeria, violence occurs during pre-election activities, during party primaries and spike during elections. INEC said over 41 attacks, excluding the recent one in Imo State, have been carried out against its offices across 14 states since the 2019 general election, with the South-East recording 13 attacks.

INEC recorded nine attacks in 2019, 21 incidents in 2020 and over 12 as of May 2021. It also lost 9,836 smart card readers, 345 ballot boxes, and 135 voting cubicles, among other assets. With each card reader costing N167,063 and a memory card N6,000, losses incurred were valued at about N847 million.

Police said 520 persons, including nine National Youth Service Corps members, died in the violence that followed the 2011 presidential polls, while hundreds were displaced. Independent observers insist that over 800 persons died.

In the North-East where a 12-year-old Islamist insurgency is still raging and in the South-East where terrorists hiding under the self-determination tag are on the rampage, INEC offices, facilities and personnel have become targets.

Appropriating funds to rebuild vandalised properties and replace burnt machines in Nigeria’s ailing economy is an avoidable waste of resources.

More disturbing is that the violence contributes to voter apathy, dissuading many people from registering or voting on Election Day. For a fledgling democracy already suffering perennially low turnout, this is disastrous.

The 52.26 percent voter participation in the 1999 presidential election rose to 69.08 percent in 2003, declined to 57.49 percent in 2007, 53.67 percent in 2011, 42.75 percent in 2015 and 34.74 percent in 2019. In the most recent off-season election, the governorship election in Anambra State, a pathetic 10 percent voter turnout was recorded.

This trend makes a mockery of democracy. Without significantly high citizen participation, democracy cannot thrive. Rwanda’s last presidential election in 2017 witnessed 98.15 per cent voter participation, and from 2003 till date, the least participation in such a general exercise was 89.86 per cent. In Ghana, the average voter turnout is 72.32 per cent, while in Australia it was 92.22 per cent in 2019.

Therefore, the Federal Government must take the lead, rally all centres of influence and authority and implement measures to prevent violence in the electoral process. Violation of electoral laws must attract serious consequences; there should be strict enforcement of legislation against electoral offences. Violence especially should attract very severe punishment for perpetrators and the politicians that sponsor them.

Extra efforts should be made to secure and protect INEC staff and offices. Massive deployment of security agents during elections has not been effective. This arises from collusion and compromise by security personnel, the involvement of highly placed public officials and influential individuals in electoral malpractices and violence, and the lack of the political will by successive commanders-in-chief to crush electoral malfeasance.

Realistically, there are not enough security agents available to be deployed in the 176,846 polling units across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Past incidents have shown this to be an inefficient strategy to prevent violence as over 50 percent of police personnel are protecting VIPs.

Therefore, it is only a paradigm shift in attitude that will deliver a fairer electoral culture. One way is to apprehend and punish offenders. Until criminals are made to pay for their crimes, the chaos will never abate.

Again, Nigeria must like all federations, decentralise policing. The current single policing system cannot secure the country. The “doctrine of necessity” should be invoked for an amendment of the constitution to accommodate state police. Police should track down and apprehend all perpetrators of the recent attacks and bring them to justice.

Democracy is anchored on free and fair elections, and INEC is central to making that happen. Acts of violence by individuals or groups during the electoral processes must be treated as treasonous sabotage. Examples should be made of erring VIPs by prosecuting them and imposing maximum prison terms. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), should lead the charge for change.

Update news