With the startling thuggery and electoral malfeasance that marred the recent by-elections in some states, Nigerians fear that the 2027 elections may turn out to be the most awful in the nation?s history, given the proclivity of politicians to win at all costs and subvert the will of the people.

Elder statesmen, leaders, lawyers, and activists, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should transmit election results electronically from each polling unit and not declare results written by political parties.

They also called for the strengthening of the Electoral Act and prosecution of the sponsors of electoral fraud, not the errand boys they organize to rig elections, snatch ballot boxes, and maim and kill opponents.

Dr. Jackson Omenazu, the chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), said, ?Until electoral violence perpetrators are punished seriously, this menace won?t stop. Unfortunately, those punished are the errand boys. The main sponsors of electoral fraud remain in their cozy houses and they are not prosecuted, thereby giving the criminals a license to operate without let.

?We are aware that most people in high political offices got there through high-velocity electoral brigandage. Yet, they are the same people we expect to bring justice to the innocent Nigerians.

?This is not merely a political problem; it is a direct assault on national unity, peace, and development.

?Perpetrators of electoral violence, no matter how highly placed, should face clear, swift, and deterrent punishment.

Election tribunals and regular courts must be empowered to prosecute offenders without interference. Until punishment becomes certain, desperate politicians will continue violence.

?The international community continues to watch Nigeria?s democratic process with keen interest. While commending the resilience of Nigerian voters, they remain concerned about recurring violence, vote-buying, and systemic weaknesses.

These concerns shape diplomatic relations, foreign investment, and international partnerships. For Nigeria to be taken seriously as the true giant of Africa, we must prove that our democracy can guarantee peace, fairness, and credible elections. Democracy loses its meaning when citizens fear for their lives at polling units. The menace of electoral violence is a scar on Nigeria?s democratic journey. Remedies and punishments must be practical, enforceable, and just.

The world expects Nigeria to lead Africa with credibility and democratic values, and not only with its population and economy. Until we cure electoral violence, our democracy will remain fragile, and our global reputation will be compromised,? he stated.

The activist advocated that the Electoral Act should be fortified to close loopholes that allow manipulation and violence, adding that technology should be fully deployed and protected from sabotage. He suggested that security agencies must be apolitical, proactive, and accountable, and that election duty should not be a platform for compromise but for professionalism. Omenazu stressed that citizens must be continuously educated that elections are contests of ideas, not wars, stating that violence erodes legitimacy and breeds instability. He also tasked traditional rulers, religious leaders, and civil society to rise against the culture of thuggery and political violence, since violent election ?is a poisoned foundation for governance.?

Punish electoral offenders to avert looming catastrophe ?Gbemre, activist

Zik Gbemre, the national coordinator of the Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC), said, ?The recent bye-elections have presented the same irregularities that characterized previous elections under the current democratic dispensation. In the North, South, East, and West, nothing new happened; it is the same widespread rigging through thuggery, vote buying, and disruption of the process by key actors?candidates, their parties, and supporters?with the ruling party exerting incumbency and federal might, and INEC and security operatives aiding and abetting. The critical solution is honest consequence action against those found wanting, which is not happening. We want to see the 288 suspects and others arrested and tried to finality, with those found culpable punished as the electoral laws provide. The question is, will that happen? This is where the slack judiciary and law enforcement become a big part of the problem. No consequential actions, no hope for free, fair, and peaceful elections in Nigeria?.

Violence witnessed during bye-elections is a red flag ?Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, National Coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG).

According to Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, National Coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG),?we strongly believe the level of violence we saw in the bye-elections is a red flag. If a simple bye-election in just 12 states could record armed thugs, hijacked materials, and open vote-buying, then Nigerians have every reason to fear what 2027 might look like when the stakes are much higher.

The sad reality is that elections are fast being reduced to battlefields instead of contests of ideas. Politicians must be held responsible for the conduct of their thugs, security agencies must act before?not after?the damage is done, and INEC must close the loopholes that make vote-buying possible.

If nothing changes, 2027 may be worse. But if politicians, security agencies, INEC, and citizens play their roles sincerely, then there is still hope to protect our democracy from descending into chaos. Nigerians deserve elections, not wars?.

Instill the right value system in children ? Emiaso, retired judge

Retired President of the Delta State Area Customary Court, Miakpor Emiaso, said, ?Thuggery has always been part of elections in Nigeria; it is a trend in the Nigerian electoral system. We have to reorient our children to develop the right kind of values. The present population of youths and adults has imbibed a value system where violence is an integral part of the value system.

Unfortunately, it?s a fallout from the military governance that we experienced for so many years, where everybody thinks you must use force to do things. Let us go back to the basics. If we want to check thuggery in our elections, let?s start teaching the evil of thuggery at primary schools.?

Reduce poverty to stem thuggery ?Mudiaga-Odje, constitutional lawyer

A constitutional lawyer, Dr. Akpo Mudiaga Odje, said, ?Thuggery is the African brand of politics, and I keep lamenting that it is the stomach infrastructure. We cannot eradicate thuggery; we can only lessen its prevalence. There will always be people who can be taken advantage of and controlled because of the poverty in the country. They don?t care about the results or repercussions of their behavior. Their main worry is about their stomach. Thuggery will increase as a result of the country?s poverty. Effective security cooperation and intelligence collection can reduce it. The nation?s extreme poverty and hunger are direct causes of thuggery, despite the government?s efforts to reduce poverty being the ultimate solution.?

INEC should reject results from the thuggery-affected polling units ?Adima, political activist

A political activist, Mr. Blessing Adima, also expressed fears that thuggery may continue in the 2027 general elections, saying, ?If thuggery is visible in the forthcoming Anambra governorship election, then it will be worse in the 2027 general elections because no party will want to stand by and watch other parties rig them out of an election that is supposed to be a fair contest. They will be encouraged to bring their thugs so that it will be a war instead of a mere election. INEC must ensure that thuggery does not occur in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Anambra State and other states. Security personnel should stay a noticeable distance to detect those going to the polling units to vote and trouble makers. INEC should improve on its operations and ensure that results do not emanate from polling units affected by thuggery. This is because thugs cart away ballot materials, yet parties write results that are received by collation centers and announced.

Security agencies should arrest and prosecute electoral offenders ?Robinson, ex-PANDEF spokesperson

Dr. Ken Robinson, the immediate past national publicity secretary of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said, ?The reported incidents of violence and thuggery in some states in last Saturday?s (August 16) bye-elections indicate that the current rhetoric of some politicians contributed to the high numbers in certain states. Many public comments made during this period are unpatriotic and unacceptable. These developments are deeply troubling and raise serious concerns about the peaceful conduct of the upcoming 2027 general elections, which are less than two years away. The government and security agencies must take decisive action against those arrested and their enablers. Such measures would serve as a deterrent to others and help address the ugly trend in the future.?

Furoebi Akene, the chairman of the Centre for Environmental Preservation and Development (CEPAD), said, ?There is no democracy in Nigeria, so let us not disturb and deceive ourselves with elections that are not real. Until we use the application of electronic voting and send the results from each polling unit electronically, which is possible, elections will not be decided by voting.

The criminal INEC will always do the bidding of the criminal and incompetent politicians that have no conscience and feelings for humanity, and our corrupt and criminal justice system is at their beck and call to seal the process in favor of the gullible politicians. The biased security can only arrest the people who are not in support of those in power and label them as thugs or any other name. But the real criminals and thugs are protected by the security. What a failed country.?

The People?s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Ovia Federal Constituency, Edo State, in last week?s by-election, Rev. Johnny Aikpitanyi, lamented that the ruling party did not allow the electorate to vote for their choice candidate. He said that suspected armed thugs and vigilantes took over many polling units in the area, asking, ?How can you see more than 150 vigilantes holding guns in a polling unit? It doesn?t make sense. What is a vigilante doing in a polling unit? More than 150 of them. If you know your party is good, if you know your party has done well, why are you afraid? Why the vigilantes? Why the thugs everywhere? Allow people to go and vote. If you feel your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has done well, then allow voters to vote, and their votes will count. So, this election violence here and there has to be stopped and should stop now,? he added.

?Election management and its practice in Nigeria is a crisis that demands serious attention. There is no honesty in the process, there is zero integrity, thus the very concept of representative democracy is absolutely absent. Those in government continue to populate INEC with pliant fellows who are bereft of the courage to respect the tenets of democracy by respecting the electoral desires as expressed through the votes cast at every election. It is imperative to recall that at a time in this country, elections were peacefully conducted, without fracas, but with the new desperation of political parties and their candidates to win elections at all cost, criminal activities continue to characterise the conduct. We deserve a proper democracy that will be anchored on credible elections that must be grounded on honesty and respect for the electoral wishes of the people. Agencies like the Police and other security agencies involved with electoral management, are equally culpable alongside INEC in the compromise of

Lanre Ogunsuyi, a public analyst and communication strategist in Ekiti blamed the election violence and thuggery in our electoral system on economic hardship, ineffective law enforcement and ineffectual judicial systems, divisive politics and ethnicity. According to him, ?Nigeria needs to rejig its election management architecture and re-examine the effectiveness of institutions like INEC, the judiciary, and security agencies during elections.

Citizens must own the electoral process with adequate voter education from the relevant authorities charged with the responsibility. There should also be deployment of security personnel and implementation of measures to prevent violence and intimidation, through far-reaching reforms like electronic security measures rather than promoting physical security measures, such as troops and guns. The reforms should address issues like vote-buying, electoral disputes and timely resolution, transparent campaign financing etc. Perpetrators of electoral violence and their sponsors must be held accountable.

To achieve greater participation in 2027 elections, stakeholders should engage in voter education, election observation, and advocacy for electoral reforms. Political parties must shift from desperate antics but rather they should promote peaceful campaigns, respecting the rule of law, and cooperate and partner with election managers?.

Dr. Tunde Afolabi, a political analyst, suggested that ?the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must tighten regulations and impose harsher penalties for those caught engaging in vote-buying. This could involve not only disqualifying candidates but also prosecuting those who facilitate such practices. Also, enhancing voter education is crucial. Many voters are unaware of the implications of accepting money in exchange for their votes. Community outreach programmes aimed at educating citizens about their rights and the importance of voting freely can empower them to resist such temptations. Local NGOs could play a pivotal role in these initiatives, helping to foster a culture of integrity in the electoral process. Lastly, leveraging technology to monitor and report incidents of vote-buying could help create a more transparent electoral environment. Encouraging citizens to use mobile platforms to report suspicious activities on election day may deter potential offenders and promote accountability.

Samuel Adeyemi, a political observer, noted that the prevalence of vote-buying reflected broader socio-economic issues. He said, ?Many voters are struggling to make ends meet, and when offered money, it becomes a tough choice. This isn?t just about politics; it?s about survival for many. Such dynamics create an environment where the sanctity of the ballot is compromised, and the electorate is manipulated for personal gain. The implications of these practices are far-reaching, as they not only skew election outcomes but also erode public trust in the electoral system. Many citizens fear that if these trends continue unaddressed, the future of democracy in Nigeria will be at serious risk?.

Waheed Saka, convener, Dialogue 365, said, ?As far as INEC is concerned, it has put things in place in line with electoral guidelines, such as the BVAS, IREV, among others, to enforce integrity in our electoral system. However, despite all of these, politicians still find means to circumvent the process through vote trading, as well as violence, to manipulate the process. The recent by-elections showed what politicians from all political parties could do to win an election. In all of these, INEC would be helpless?.

In Plateau state, the residents were unanimous in calling for stakeholders? collaboration in stemming the tide of thuggery. A politician, Nde Isaac Wadak, said, ?thuggery has been around for a while, but it is not the best. It will not stop, but it must be minimised so that it doesn?t derail the democracy we are nurturing.?

Also, the National Auditor of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Tongnaan Dada-Bawa, called for punitive action against perpetrators. She said, ?The violence we heard about is disheartening, and must be addressed so that it doesn?t discourage people from going out to vote in the coming general elections. This is a bad signal; politicians should discourage their followers from desisting from thuggery before it escalates beyond control.?

To Grace Gotip, the State Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, ?There is need for a reinforcement of security ahead of the 2027 elections. Caution must be taken by all stakeholders so that the act of thuggery doesn?t throw the nation into more chaos.?

A Youth Leader, Jude Dangwam, added, ?Violence is associated with the youths, hence the need for parents to talk to their children. Most times, it is the children of the poor whom they recruit to do this. The recent one happened during a by-election. How will the general elections look if this is ignored?

Security agents should arrest and prosecute those involved; their sponsors, too, should not be spared. If the leadership at the highest level frowns at this, it will be addressed, but if condoned, it will fester.? (Saturday Vanguard)

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