When Silence is Not Golden

There is an urgent need for President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari to publicly condemn any reckless acts or utterances made on their behalf by their supporters, writes Vincent Obia

Nigeria is going through an increasingly challenging time as the countdown to the general election runs. The electioneering process is getting not only tougher, but also dirtier, with the country daily exposed to the harmful activities of overzealous politicians and their supporters. This is why the presidential candidates, especially, of the two leading parties, on whose behalf many of the reckless comments or acts are being committed, can no longer sit back and watch the crisis developing on various fronts from the actions of their supporters.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, and the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari, must always come out to clearly condemn careless actions by their supporters. Beyond the general condemnations of violence and pleas for peaceful conduct, the main presidential contenders must specifically condemn and disown inappropriate, arrogant, or violent attitudes exhibited in their names. This will help to ease the dangerous storm of violent emotion building across the country ahead of the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections and April 11 governorship and House of Assembly elections.

The violent passion has already claimed many lives.The National Human Rights Commission said recently that political violence in the run-up to this year’s general election had killed 58 people and injured over a hundred others within 50 days, in 22 states, from December 3 last year. Chairman, Governing Council of NHRC, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, revealed this in Abuja while presenting a report entitled “Pre-election Report and Advisory on Violence in Nigeria’s 2015 General Elections. ”The advisory is meant to try to change the narrative of elections from hate speeches to discussion of issues.

Odinkalu said the commission was working towards an occasion when Jonathan and Buhari would hold a joint press conference, perhaps abroad, to talk to Nigerians on their commitment to peace and love for the country.

Jonathan and Buhari, along with the 12 other presidential candidates participating in this year’s general election, had made a joint public commitment to peace on January 14 – although, not at a press conference. But no sooner had the ceremony ended than volleys of hate comments began to fly across the main political camps. So while it is okay for Buhari and Jonathan to hold a joint press conference to reaffirm their commitment to peace before, during, and after the coming elections, a practical and unambiguous demonstration of this commitment is certainly what Nigerians want to see now.

Nigeria has seen too much destruction, tears, and blood from elections since independence in 1960.This is unacceptable.The citizens are sick of election violence.The political leaders on whose behalf the violence is often carried out must demonstrate aversion for such vices.

As the country faces its most competitive elections since independence, the main presidential candidates must forget their narrow interests and look at the big picture.

The Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police, and other security agencies also have a role to play. Resort to violence is more often than not fuelled by lack of trust in the impartiality of the law enforcement institutions or their capacity to enforce the law. Demonstrable political neutrality on the part of the security agencies would play a big role in reducing the incentive for political violence during elections.To achieve such even-handedness in their operations, experts have suggested that members of the Armed Forces, the police, and other security agencies must deliberately stay away from situations in which they would be put under pressure to defend political decisions.

Besides, as cases relating to the coming elections come to courts across the country, judges and other judicial officers should take the long view of the litigations. They must consider what would serve the larger interest of the country in the long run.

Key institutions of state should impartially perform their roles in the collective desire for successful general election. And the two main presidential candidates must openly embrace peace and condemn violence and its perpetrators. It will be quite a shame if Nigeria is not able to achieve its quest for peaceful and credible polls this year after all the human and material investment.