Abuja Accord: Bitter campaign threatens 2015 election

Emeka Ibemere

The signpost of violence during and after the next month’s scheduled election seems to have been written boldly and clear. And with pockets of pre-election violence already ravaging some towns and cities, its only divine mercy that would avert the impending doom.

Throwing caution to the winds, the supporters of the two main political parties seems to be unbeaten in an attempt to hatch violence in the forth coming general elections.

Two days after campaign buses of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Campaign Organisation were set ablaze in Jos, Plateau State, and several properties belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe State were burnt down last Sunday. According to reports, the Gombe violence took place in Gona Village of Akko Local Government Area. It was gathered that a convoy of the APC governorship candidate, Inuwa Yahya, instigated the violence in which the PDP office, two vehicles and several shops were burnt down.

Daily Times gathered that the APC candidate was on his way to Billiri town for a rally when his convoy suddenly stopped in the town and some of the youth in the convoy began to destroy the billboards of Governor Dankwambo and other PDP property.

The spokesperson of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, Junaidu Abubakar, claimed that the property belonging to the party and the governor were destroyed. “In their quest to destroy the billboards of the governor and burn PDP office, peoples shops were also burnt down completely,” Mr. Abubakar said.

According to him, the unfortunate incident caused serious tension in the town because residents thought they were under attack from members of the Boko Haram gang.

But the secretary of the APC in Gombe State, Umar Mohammed, told said the attack was instigated by PDP members. “We were on our way to Billiri to receive decamped members of PDP and as usual advanced party were asked to move ahead of the candidate’s convoy,” he said.

“PDP members then blocked the road in Gona and refused to allow our members passage which led to a fight between them. One of our members was even seriously wounded with a knife and is presently in hospital receiving treatment. They destroyed about five vehicles and injured one of his police security details who are still receiving treatment,” he said.

Aside the Jos and Gombe incidents, Rivers State violence also speaks about the 2015 election. Last week, it was allegedly reported that supporters of the APC in Rivers State were on their way to attend their party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Port Harcourt. As that wasn’t enough, an office belonging to the APC in Okrika, the hometown of the country’s first lady, Patience Jonathan, was attacked with dynamites in Rivers State on Sunday.

According to the Rivers State Police Command, the building housing the All Progressives Congress in Okrika Local Government Area was attacked.

The command’s public relations officer, Ahmad Muhammad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the command had received the report of the dynamite attack. “I am aware of the incident at Okrika, but the information at my disposal is sketchy”, Mr. Muhammad, a deputy superintendent of police, said.

The chairman of the party in the local government, Christian Asifamaka, told journalists that unknown persons used dynamite to attack the party’s office in Abam-Ama. According to him, the explosion occurred at 3:14 a.m. and destroyed the party’s secretariat building and bringing down the walls.

“The damage was quite extensive with the chairman’s office being the worst hit,’’ Mr. Asifamaka said.

He said the party viewed the latest attack as a deliberate provocation by its opponents to draw it into a battle that would destabilize the local government. He further explained that in spite of the attack, the party would follow the path of peace in the interest of the people of the area. In all the attacks in some of the states, police has not made a reasonable arrest.

In Imo State, the Police Command Bomb Disposal Unit said they uncovered bomb at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in the State.  It also claimed that another bomb planted under a palm tree at the Owerri Capital Development Authority, (OCDA) few meters away from the INEC Office and the state secretariat along Port Harcourt –Owerri Road was found.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Andrew Enwerem confirmed the two incidents and said that the Police acted on a tip off to avert what could have been a total calamity; if the two bombs had been exploded. “On arrival at the scene we discovered it was an Improvised Explosive Device, IED planted somewhere near OCDA”.  He said that the bomb was detonated without any harm, adding that the police had thrown its dragnet to fish out those behind the act.

  The Secretary of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Obi Olucha said, when they reported to work earlier in morning and noticed the strange thing, they reported the matter to the police who said it was fertilizer chemical.

Perhaps, apparently sensing danger in the next month’s general election, concerned persons decided that the two top gladiators of February 14, Presidential election should sign an undertaking to make sure that the election was violence free.

Last week, President Goodluck Jonathan, General Muhammadu Buhari (ret) and 12 other presidential candidates last week signed an undertaking to ensure free and fair polls; as well as run issue-based campaigns for the forthcoming general elections in the country.

In the ceremony leading to the signing of violence- free contract in the election, both players gave their words at a workshop organized by the concerned group in a workshop entitled: “2015 General Elections: Sensitization workshop on Non-Violence”.

  Jonathan and Buhari threw their differences away and hug happily upon arriving for the workshop as the two leading contenders for the office of President.

As that wasn’t enough, the chairmen of the two dominant parties, Adamu Mu’azu (PDP) and Odigie Oyegun (APC), also hugged themselves to announce to their supporters to flee from violence.

Aside the two flying candidates, 14 other presidential candidates of the various parties contesting the election also endorsed their signature in the peace accord ceremony for violence- free, fair and credible election in 2015.

it was gathered that the peace agreement otherwise known as ‘Abuja Accord’ by the organizers of the event was essentially to caution the array of contestants from making inciting speeches in whatever guise that could cause the eruption of violence before, during and after the elections.

 “We the undersigned presidential candidates of the under-listed political parties contesting in the general elections of 2015; desirous of taking proactive measures to prevent electoral violence before, during and after the elections; anxious about the maintenance of a peaceful environment for the 2015 general elections; reaffirming our commitment to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; desirous of sustaining and promoting the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity; determined to avoid any conduct or behaviour that will endanger the political stability and national security of Nigeria; determined to place national interest above personal and partisan concerns; and reaffirm our commitment to fully abide by all rules and regulations as laid down in the legal framework for elections in Nigeria, hereby commit ourselves and our party to the following, the Accord read.

“To run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels; in this, we pledge to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling; both ourselves and agents acting in our names, to refrain from making, or causing to make our names or that of our party, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections and to commit ourselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to this accord by a national peace committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders”.

“All institutions of government including INEC and security agencies must act and be seen to act with impartiality and to forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetrated by our supporters and/or opponents.”

According to the Chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega,  who identified 10 causes of violent elections in Nigeria, win or bust spirit and attitude is one of the causes of violence.

 “In answering the question of what makes our elections so prone to violence, I have identified specific as well as general causes of violent elections which have been identified by scholars. In particular, I have paid attention to the causes which are attributed in countries such as Nigeria to the tendency for contestants, political parties, politicians to see electoral contest as something that you have to engage in and that you must win at all cost”, Jega stated.

“In a country like Nigeria, where there is what scholars called low level of institutionalization, stakeholders tend to use resources at their control in the contest for political power and Samuel Huntington said, the ‘wealthy will bribe, the students will riot, the workers will strike, the mob will demonstrate and the military will coup’. Of course, this depends on the extent which the political party, candidates and other vested interests now try to mobilize and to win power at all cost. So, it is very, very important to recognize that in a country like Nigeria, there are many factors that can lead to violence in an election”.

According to the INEC boss, “Attitude and the disposition of parties and candidates will determine to a large extent whether we will have peaceful and non-violent elections. So, parties and contestants, although have responsibility to ensure peaceful conduct of elections. Of course, there are other agencies; the election management body has an important responsibility. It has to do its job with competence, with professionalism and with non partisanship. Security agencies also have to do their jobs”, he further explained.

“I have identified what I called 10 tenets of non-violent elections specifically on what we will expect. The first one obviously is internal party democracy, effective intra-party conflict resolution, accountability, Supremacy of rules, uncertain electoral outcome, willingness to accept outcomes, moderation of electioneering, trust in institutional redress, promotion of inclusiveness, well trained staff.”

The deed has been signed but the result of the deed is what the stakeholders are yet to be seen as violence continues to reverberate across the country.

The illicit action leading to the burning of the President’s campaign vehicles continue to be a major concern to the stakeholders. Accusations and counter accusations has continued to trail the action as President Goodluck Jonathan asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Major-General Muhammadu (rtd), to call his followers to order over the burning of his campaign vehicles in Jos, Plateau State. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged Buhari to call his supporters to order on the grounds that suspected APC supporters burnt two of his campaign buses, saying that the action was a sign of desperation on the part of the opposition party.

But the Buhari Campaign Organisation distanced itself from the allegation, saying that the incident in Jos was because of PDP’s Plateau State rigged primaries.

Director of Media and Publicity of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, warned General Buhari and the APC not to prepare the ground for the re-enactment of the post-election violence of 2011.

 “It is on record that General Buhari’s utterances since 2011 have fuelled violence especially the post-election violence in parts of the North which claimed the lives of many youth corps members who were deployed as ad-hoc staff for that year’s election.  It is sad that up till now, General Buhari has refused to apologize to the Nigerian people for that barbaric and shameful incident or show any remorse for the actions of his supporters. He could not even bring himself to tender an apology to the families of those young corps members that were hacked to death and murdered in cold blood by his agents”, the statement read.

“As if that was not enough tragedy unleashed on the polity, General Buhari recently said that the ‘baboon and the dog would be soaked in blood if what happened in 2011 repeats itself in 2015. The Jos attack on the campaign buses of President Goodluck Jonathan would appear to be a pointer to what the opposition APC presidential candidate is planning before and after the February 14 presidential election. We, therefore, call on well-meaning Nigerians and members of the international community to speak forcefully against this development, which threatens our elections and democracy and which falls way below the standard of best international practices.”

Also in a separate statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, condemned the action, stressing however, that the incident would not deter the determination of the Federal Government to ensure free and fair elections in the country next month. Alkali said:

“We have observed a dangerous trend of politically motivated violence unleashed on innocent Nigerians by supporters of those who have shown desperation to assume political power at all costs. While we are not surprised by acts of desperation already shown by these people who have no articulate agenda for nation building, we are amazed at how quickly they are willing to manifest their evil intentions on our dear country. The incident in Jos, Plateau State where our campaign vehicles were torched by irate youth supporters of the APC, underscores the need for vigilance as we progress towards the General Elections. This criminal behaviour, which was meant to intimidate others and deny them their freedom of choice, stands condemned”, Alkali stated in a statement.

 “We condemn the acts of violence in Jos, Plateau State and also condemn the threats to violence in every other part of the country. This ugly trend must stop. We declare unequivocally that no Nigerian citizen should be prevented from campaigning in any part of the country. We, therefore, call on the law enforcement agencies to protect and guarantee the safety of every Nigerian legitimately canvassing for votes all over the country. We invite law enforcement agencies to note the pronouncements of desperate politicians who are bent on fanning the embers of hate and threaten the peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections. We once more wish to reiterate the commitment of President Jonathan to a peaceful and rancour-free electoral process. He has said times without number that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.  We wish to sound a note of warning to politicians to desist from this vicious circle of lies, rumours, intimidation and violence.”

In their own reaction, the Director, Media and Publicity of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that “the incident in Jos was passed as a PDP on PDP violence flowing from their rigged primaries. That is the earliest security report we got. Nobody should change that and use it to demonize opponents.” “I am hoping that the police will immediately investigate, arrest and prosecute the culprits. Our democracy cannot tolerate violence in any form. PDP should leave us out of their Wahala.”

Speaking on the election Chukwuma Odiakor, said he used the Christmas festival to relocate his family to East and said the there are indications of election violence in Nigeria. He blamed the crisis on politicians who have been using inciting words during their campaigns. Muyiwa Olemeye, an educationist said the cause of campaign violence was because the present politicians are illiterate, and are not well tutored in politics. He said gone are days of political rallies when people were entertained by great political vocabularies and dictions from great political gladiators like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ibrahim Waziri, K.O Mbadiwe, and other great politicians of the blessed memory.

“Its because they lacked contents, they lacked ambitions, they have no message, they are being propelled by corruption and avarice, that is why they go into politics with bitterness and decide to empower youths to violence”, Olemeye queried.

“Do you know that I have not read any awe-inspiring or motivating quotes from these guys to say they are intelligent? That is why the result to violence, because they lacked stoic arguments and its either they shout or they shoot”.