The Nigeria Police Force and the National Peace Committee led by former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), have stepped up efforts to contain rising political tension and alleged inciting comments as campaigns for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
The police have commenced investigations into controversial remarks allegedly made by the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba; the Chairman of Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, Samuel Shekwolo; and Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District.
At the same time, the Peace Committee has activated a situation room and an Electoral Offences Tracking System to monitor campaigns, alleged breaches of the political accord and other conduct capable of undermining the electoral process.
The developments followed a series of controversial statements and reported incidents that have heightened fears of intimidation and violence as political parties intensify mobilisation for the 2027 polls.
Last week, Shekwolo sparked public outrage after a viral video showed him warning residents opposed to the All Progressives Congress to leave the council ahead of the elections.
“I’ve said in my area council, it is either you are doing APC or leave the area council. I am not hiding it. I’m saying it with all confidence,” Shekwolo said.
Days after Shekwolo’s warning, thugs armed with cutlasses reportedly attacked an Accord Party political gathering in Kuje, Abuja, on Sunday. The attackers allegedly chased participants away, destroyed campaign materials and furniture, and injured at least one person.
Similarly, Fadahunsi came under criticism after another viral video showed him threatening members of the Accord Party in Ilesa, Osun State, amid heightened political tension before last month’s governorship election.
Fadahunsi, an APC member, spoke in Yoruba while addressing supporters during a protest at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland over what he described as the incessant killing of APC members in the area.
He said, “The cap they wear – it is yellow fever cap, it is the cap of an animal.
“It is animal that kills. Have you ever heard that APC killed anyone? Are those being killed not your people? So, we have come to tell you, up till the day of the election, if we see them, it is killing.”
His comments came a day after three people were killed in a shooting in the Imo area of Ilesa, Osun State, amid heightened political tension ahead of the August 15 governorship election. The circumstances surrounding the killings, however, remained disputed.
Buba also came under fire after he reportedly threatened to flog and cut off the fingers of residents who refused to support the APC in the 2027 election.
The incidents have intensified concerns over the potential use of threats, intimidation and violence in the electoral process, prompting increased scrutiny by security and peace-building institutions.
On Tuesday, opposition parties accused the APC-led government of heightening political tension, while the ruling party challenged them to provide evidence to support the allegations.
The Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-backed Peoples Democratic Party National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, told The PUNCH in an exclusive interview that the APC was aware that a free, fair and credible election could produce an outcome undesirable to the ruling party.
He alleged that threats were being issued to intimidate voters and discourage them from exercising their franchise.
The National Democratic Congress National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, also accused President Bola Tinubu of actions and utterances capable of heightening political tension, insisting that Nigerians could not be cowed by threats or intimidation.
Similarly, the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party, Yabagi Sani, warned the APC and other political actors against actions that could create confusion, disorder or anarchy during the election period.
However, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed allegations that the ruling party was desperate or recruiting people to cause mayhem.
He challenged the accusers to provide evidence, arguing that the APC had no reason to create chaos while in power and seeking to retain it through the delivery of democratic dividends to Nigerians.
Opposition blames APC
Reacting, the PDP accused the APC of fearing a free, fair and credible election and alleged that the threats were aimed at intimidating voters and discouraging turnout.
Ememobong said the incidents formed part of a wider strategy and reflected what he described as an early sign of failure by the ruling party.
He stated, “The attacks and threats are clear indication of the rejection that they are already aware of. A free, fair and credible election will produce a result that will be undesirable to them, which is why they are now trying to force the people to do what they know is against the tide.
“The current tide is against them, and so they know that they are swimming against the tide, which is why they are issuing threats well in advance and undertaking activities that will either scare people from coming to vote or will force people to vote against the tide of the moment.
“And so, it is a clear sign of an early failure, and that is why you see that it is a strategy. It is not isolated cases. These are things that are happening everywhere at the same time, with the same intensity, and all of them have the same underlying issue: the threats that are being issued by these people. So, it is clear that they know that the election is theirs to lose.
“Well, that is why we are coming together to expand the platform under which everybody who is opposed to the system can exercise their franchise. So, in that way, we are going to have a lot of joint activities where we are not just doing PDP, doing ADC, doing NDC, but we are all together opposing a common enemy.”
The NDC National Publicity Secretary said democracy was under siege in Nigeria, condemning the alleged use of violence and undemocratic tactics to intimidate and silence opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Director called on security agencies and the international community to protect the democratic process, urging Nigerians to participate fully in the election and freely exercise their right to vote.
He stated, “The NDC is concern with the manifestation of violence. Obviously, democracy is under siege in Nigeria, and this is clear from the statement of the President who said that in politics, all is fair. All is fair in politics, so it means violence, using undemocratic means to intimidate and cow the opposition, is fair. So, by that statement, they threaten members of his party or intimidate them and take possible members of the opposition in a bid to realise their nefarious and burgeoning ambition of winning the 2027 general election. It is so unfortunate.
“We are calling on the Nigerian security agencies to please take the responsibility to ensure that this is addressed. We are calling on the international community and society to help sustain democracy in Nigeria and ensure that these negative manifestations of anti-democratic forces are terminated and put under control.
“The voters in Nigeria and the electorate in general should not be intimidated. They must be citizens of Nigeria. It is not just enough to call yourself a citizen; you must be a civilised citizen, and that is part of your right to vote. So, we must vote and participate in the process to change any government that we don’t want.
“These people are a minority. Nigerians and the Nigerian masses are larger than them, and they should be committed to ensuring a free and fair election. They should participate in the forthcoming election by casting their votes without fear or intimidation.”
On its part, ADP National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, cautioned that while the government had the power of incumbency, the opposition could also react negatively to actions it considered threatening to the electoral process.
He stated, “Well, you know, every national election, not only in Nigeria, comes with some level of anxiety over issues such as the safety of lives and property, rigging, intimidation, and the high-handedness that can sometimes come with the power of incumbency. So, people naturally get worked up when such an important exercise is approaching.
“But the cases you mentioned, such as the alleged maltreatment of people at the mission somewhere in the North, and also here, I don’t know whether they are isolated cases. If they are not, and they are connected to the upcoming election, then it is unfortunate because that will not go well for anyone.
“If the government has the power of incumbency and can do and undo, it should also remember that the opposition has the power to, I wouldn’t say cause destruction, but to react negatively. So, they must be wary of that. People should not, on account of elections, begin to create problems that could affect lives and property.”
APC reacts
In response, the All Progressives Congress dismissed allegations that it was recruiting people to cause mayhem, insisting that the claims were unsupported by evidence.
APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, also questioned the identities of those making the allegations, accusing some individuals of posing as party members to damage the APC’s image and credibility.
He stated, “Any allegation that does not come with evidence remains an allegation, and it will be treated as an allegation until that proof is provided. The evidence that we are desperate is not there. The evidence that we are recruiting people to cause mayhem is not there. Why should we, when we are in control? Why should we, when we are enjoying support and increasing support on a daily basis, create confusion or chaos in the system that will lead to disorder or anarchy, when we are the ones in power and we want to continue being in power so that we will keep giving democratic dividends to the people?
“You see, sometimes I question the evidence, the proof, and the authority to authenticate the identity of the person making the allegations.
“One, some people make allegations in disguise when they are truly not real, genuine members of our party. Some people will disguise themselves; they will wear the robe of the party in power and make allegations with a view to robbing or bringing down the image or name of the party.
“But when you conduct a genuine investigation, you will find that they are not genuine members of the party until the identities of those people are really brought out and they are seen to be card-carrying members of our party.
“I don’t want to believe in what is being said. Why? There is just no logic. It beats common sense that a party in power will want to create anarchy. When there is anarchy, it means there will be no law and order. When there is no law and order, automatically, it means you lose control of the power you are enjoying.”
Peace committee action
Meanwhile, the National Peace Committee has commenced monitoring alleged violations of the political accord among parties, while the police have begun investigating reported incidents linked to the agreement.
Head of Secretariat, National Peace Committee, Fr. Atta Barkindo, said the committee had established a situation room and an Electoral Offences Tracking System to monitor breaches of the Peace Accord, electoral laws and other regulatory frameworks.
“We have a situation room, and we have what we call the Electoral Offences Tracking System that we use to monitor not just violations of the Accord, but also violations of the electoral law and electoral frameworks.
“We are monitoring that, whether it’s by parties, candidates, party members, party supporters, party stakeholders, party spokespersons, etc. We are documenting both the violent and the non-violent aspects,” he said.
Barkindo added that the committee had documented utterances made by presidential candidates at the recently concluded Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, which would be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission and the police for appropriate action.
“We are handing over to the police and INEC. The Peace Committee does not have the constitutional authority to prosecute or to sanction. So, the police and INEC were witnesses. They signed onto the accord,” he said.
He said the committee was also advocating the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission by the National Assembly.
“So, we are sharing that information with them, and we are doing two things. We expect that they will take action, number one, and number two, we are pushing with the National Assembly to set up the Electoral Offences Commission,” Barkindo stated.
He urged the media to support efforts to promote issue-based campaigns, citing debates on fuel subsidy removal and the reopening of Nigeria’s borders as examples of issues that should dominate political discourse.
A top INEC official, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the commission could not comment on the allegations because they were security matters.
The official, however, said political parties and other stakeholders were expected to comply with campaign rules and guidelines.
“INEC cannot comment on it. Those are security matters. Campaigns have started, and there are rules guiding those campaigns, so INEC expects compliance.
“Comments made by political actors fall within the ambit and purview of security agencies, so I can’t comment on that. But INEC expects political parties and stakeholders to abide by the rules,” the official said.
Police probe violence
In a related development, the Nigeria Police Force, confirmed that aside from investigating the comments of Fadahunsi, Shekwolo and Buba, the 154 persons arrested during the August 15 Osun State governorship election were also under investigation.
Addressing journalists at a joint security spokespersons’ briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, the Force spokesman, Ani Iniedu, said inciting comments, particularly those relating to the electoral process, constituted a criminal offence.
The police said the investigation formed part of efforts to address issues arising from the conduct of the Osun election and recent controversial statements by political actors.
Iniedu said the police had questioned Fadahunsi over his alleged threat against members of the Accord Party.
He said, “On the issue of the Senator in Osun State, the Council Chairman in FCT and the Borno Commissioner’s inciting comments. I was part of the team that questioned the distinguished Senator in Osun State. The law is very clear when it comes to inciting. It is criminal to incite members of the public, especially as you comment on the electoral process.
“The Nigerian Police Force is responsible for maintaining law and order and we will not shy away from this responsibility, no matter whose ox is gored.”
The Force said all the alleged inciting statements were under investigation and that the outcomes would be made public.
“Every inciting statement listed here is under investigation presently and the outcome will be released. We want to also use this opportunity to advise and caution all political stakeholders to desist from such comments,” he added.
On the Osun election, Iniedu confirmed that 154 suspects arrested as of the morning of the poll remained under investigation.
“However, I want to confirm that through the elections, as of the morning of the elections, we had arrested about 154 persons and they are presently being investigated,” the police spokesperson said.
The Force also appealed to members of the public to cooperate with investigators by providing statements and evidence needed to prosecute suspected offenders.
Iniedu identified the reluctance of witnesses to come forward as a major challenge to criminal prosecution, noting that allegations must be supported by evidence.
“One of the challenges I must tell you now that we have, the law states that a case is made when there are two or three witnesses. He who alleges must prove his allegations,” he said.
“The challenge we have in Nigeria right now is that most of our witnesses are those who have evidence to incident, do not come forward when it is time to go to court.”
He urged members of the public to provide information and evidence without fear, saying their cooperation would assist investigators and prosecutors in securing convictions.
He said, “I would refer to you, enlightened members of the public, to come forward without fear and to give your representation so we could help our lawyers in prosecution of these cases.”
‘Shun hate speech’
Also, the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development’s Council of the Wise, chaired by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, urged presidential candidates contesting the 2027 general elections to shun hate speech, inflammatory remarks and violence during their campaigns.
The council made the call on Tuesday evening in Abuja during an advocacy engagement with the Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate and former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke.
The Ariwoola-led council also urged presidential candidates and their supporters to comply with electoral laws and guidelines, stressing the need for issue-based campaigns focused on addressing the challenges confronting Nigerians.
Ariwoola said elections in Nigeria since 1999 had been marred by violence, hate speech, rigging, vote-buying and other malpractices.
The former CJN stated, “The 2007 general elections through which the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was elected President was generally regarded as flawed, which he publicly admitted. As a concerned leader, he set up an Electoral Reform Committee headed by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Muhammed Uwais. Sadly, death took him (Yar’Adua) in 2010 before the implementation of the committee’s report, of which 90 per cent of its recommendations were accepted by the government but not implemented.
“Recall the unpleasant experience of many killings and destruction that followed the 2011 general election which recorded the highest casualty when over 1,000 lives were lost in that mayhem, especially in the Northern States.
“Failure to implement most of the recommendations of the reform committee, the triggers and drivers of election-related violence continued to pose serious threats to subsequent general elections. As the 2015 general elections approached, the situation became more alarming, thus requiring more intervention to prevent the repeat of the nasty experience of 2011. Your Excellency, as a two-term Civilian Governor of Cross River State during this period, you are a living witness to the bitter experiences I summarised now.”
Addressing Duke, Ariwoola urged him to set an example of responsible political conduct and ensure that his campaign was free of hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric.
He said, “The Council wishes to congratulate you on your emergence as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential elections. The Council’s main advice to you as the presidential candidate under the Peoples Redemption Party is to request you to always listen to your own wise counsel during the campaigns in order to have successful elections.
“It is also important to emphasise that as a presidential candidate, you should ensure that the political campaigns are devoid of rancour, hate speech, inflammatory and unguided utterances capable of instigating violence. Nigeria deserves peaceful, transparent 2027 elections.
“Let me also remind you that it is imperative to always abide by the party’s Code of Conduct and Constitution, so that you earn the trust and respect of the electorate who will vote for you. It is also important to remind you that as a responsible Nigerian who aspires to secure the mandate to lead the country as a whole, exemplary conduct and inspiring attitude is expected from you at all times.
“In this regard, it will greatly deepen democracy and democratic practice if you lead in compelling members of your party and supporters to fully comply with the electoral laws and guidelines issued by the electoral umpire, in order to develop a culture of integrity and trust.”
Responding, Duke assured the Council of the Wise that he and the PRP would conduct themselves lawfully ahead of the 2027 elections and would not resort to violence or confrontation, even when faced with challenges.
Duke said Nigeria’s democracy had become a “do-or-die affair” because politics was increasingly treated as an occupation rather than a vocation.
“Unfortunately, the way we practise democracy in Nigeria is devoid of that, and there are several reasons for this. Before I go into all that, let me give you my assurance, and that of my party, that we will conduct ourselves in a law-abiding manner. Even when things are going wrong for us, we will not resort to violence or confrontation. There is a due course of action to be taken, and we will align with that,” the former Cross River governor said.
He added, “But the fundamentals of our democracy are being lost on us because, as you mentioned in passing, it has become literally a do-or-die affair. That is because we have turned politics into an occupation rather than a vocation.
“Politics ought to be seen as a vocation in which people express their views on how society should be run, which is a noble thing. Indeed, I tell people that the noblest vocation is politics because it really runs every other aspect of society. Whether you are a doctor, a lawyer or whatever profession, you are influenced by the politics of the society. Politicians make the rules and regulations that govern society.”
The PRP presidential candidate attributed the growing attraction to politics to unemployment, economic hardship and other social challenges, which he said had encouraged many Nigerians to view politics as an occupation rather than public service.
Source: punchng.com
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