Dark Days Ahead …Checking Political Violence In Rivers

When, one time President of the United States of America (USA) Abraham Lincoln once said, “no one is good enough to govern another without that other’s consent,” he was merely underscoring one of the most valuable ingredients of true democracy. By its nature, Democracy ought to be a process whereby a leadership is chosen for the people by the people before such leadership can qualify to be called government of the people.
That being the case, the people must be courted like a bride by political parties and ambitious politicians. For, no sane man brutalises his bride-to-be to coerce her into marriage.
In fact, the main responsibility of a political party is to articulate programmes and policies it intends to sell to the electorate and through persuasive appeal, earn the approval of the citizenry. Such a process must be idea-based and bereft of incitements or appeal to violence.
But in Nigeria, politics has assumed the status of war where anything and everything must be done to ensure victory, including assassination of opponents.
That tendency has left behind countless unresolved political murders ranging from those of Chief Bola Ige, one time Minister of Justice, Dr. Marshall Harry, National Vice-Chairman, South/South of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Late Chief Aminasoari Kala-Dikibo, National Vice Chairman, South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
These are merely few of countless other politically motivated deaths of ordinary Nigerians, among them defenceless men, women and children. Those are victims of inter-party rivalry resulting in violence.
After the blood-bath that attended the outcome of the 2011 Presidential elections, it was reasoned that most Nigerians must have learnt their lessons. They ought to know that violence does and cannot win elections.
In fact, no one’s ambition is worth any human blood, a reason why faith-based organisations, civil society groups and indeed well-meaning political leaders have relentlessly preached against violence of any kind, in the process leading to the 2015 general elections.
Candidates of the two dominant political parties, President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC have themselves preached against violence and repeatedly advised their supporters to play the game according to the rules.
But recent happenings in Rivers State leave a sour taste in the mouth. Barely, weeks to the first set of elections, there are very disturbing signals of a violence-prone electioneering with attacks on political opponents.
Last week, APC supporters from Khana Local Government Area on their way to the flag-off of the Presidential campaigns at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium at Igwuruta, were attacked, wounding two in the process. The wounded are still recuperating in a hospital in Port Harcourt.
While media reports described the assailants as unknown gun-men, it is usual for the affected party to point accusing fingers at the opponents. This was indeed so in that instance.
Just at the weekend also, a vehicle carrying the PDP candidates for the House of Representatives and House of Assembly, Bright Gogo and Adams Dabotorudima respectively and a former councilor Hope George, all from Okrika Local Government Area was attacked also by unknown gun-men. In the process, Mr. George was shot at and killed.
While many believe that to be an armed robbery attack, it is not unlikely for the victims to point accusing fingers at perceived political opponents even if the victims were dispossessed of money they had withdrawn from the bank, a moment earlier.
As if these are not enough causes for worry, the APC secretariat in Okrika Local Government Area was last Saturday night attacked with locally crafted explosives, suspected to be dynamites. This is in spite of the fact that the structure is a rented one and naturally does not belong to the political party.
Residents of Abam-Ama where the structure stands said the impact of the explosion was deafening and sent shock waves in nearby communities. The property itself, was severely touched while, a second dynamite was diffused early Sunday morning by the anti-bomb squad of the Police.
All these portend danger to free, fair and credible elections and require the urgent intervention of the law-enforcement agencies. Culprits in all the instances should be identified and brought to book and in a timely fashion.
These are times when, criminals may also capitalise on the distrust among political parties to commit crimes and make same where political colouration to attract reprisals. Unless the security agencies are vigilant and more proactive to the dangers we face, there is no telling the magnitude of violence that await Nigerians in days and weeks to come.
For instance, Nigerians expect answers to the questions raised by the recent violent attacks. We expect that some suspects are being trailed or already arrested. Nigerians expect to have information about efforts being made to track-down persons bent on militarising an ordinarily civil political process.
For the elections to be credible, the Nigerian electorate expect the security agencies to be apolitical, thorough and committed to their primary responsibility of safe-guarding lives and property. They must identify soft political targets and fashion pre-emptive devices towards warding off criminally minded misfits.
More importantly, the police must not consider any defaulter, a sacred cow in the handling of their mandate. This is because; the greatest incitement to crime is the hope of escaping punishment. So, if the foot soldiers of any political parties are convinced that they would not go unpunished if caught, it will discourage the tendency to be violent.
For now, the situation raises more questions than answers and unless the security agencies brace-up for the fresh challenges posed by the rising politically motivated violence, it can only get worse in days and weeks to come.
On their part, political parties must avoid the temptation of hurriedly blaming attacks on political opponents without awaiting proper police investigation. Such can only encourage avoidable reprisals and counter attacks which will do no one any good. They must continue to preach peace to their supporters as violence cannot guarantee favourable political outcome. Instead, it ignites a ring of lasting enmity, hatred and further violence.
Truly, no one’s ambition is worth such level of animosity and hatred. Unfortunately, those who die in the process are not children or wards of the candidates but other gullible young men and women who feed on violence and indeed other defenseless men, women and children very often caught in the cross fire.
This should not be the case. Politicians ought to be civil and responsible in persuading the electorate to accept them and their programmes as a means of forming government at various levels. Such a process ought to be violence-free and be conducted in such a manner that ignites followership and support.
My Agony is that the body language and public statements of some political leaders are not only ready incitements to violence, they have made the political process wear the semblance of war, which must be won, At All Cost. The do or die disposition of such leaders is indeed the spirit that truly fuels the violence primarily, the rest is secondary.

Soye Wilson Jamabo

Tunde Bature, Rivers State CP and Suleman Abba, IGP