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Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Following the conclusion of the 2019 General Election with the attendant violence, the Director, the Kukah Centre and Head, National Peace Committee (NPC) for the 2019 General Election Secretariat, Rev Fr Atta Barkindo, has said the committee carried out its work effectively to ensure peace across the country.
Barkindo, in this interview with Sunday Sun, said that the environment in which the Committee worked had indicators for the violence witnessed during the 2019 elections. Excerpts:
How has it been, liaising with General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah to carry out the activities of the National Peace Committee?
Working with General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Bishop Kukah simultaneously is an incredible experience that few Nigerians have had the opportunity to enjoy. These are two great national icons who have contributed immensely to peace and stability in the country. General Abdulsalami handed over power in 1999 after few months in office. Not many African heads of state will do that; especially considering the inevitable pressures from colleagues who will resist such a power transfer after only a few months’ in office. There are also the obvious allures of the privileges, authority and influence that come with political power in Africa as recent events in Sudan, Algeria, Cameroon, Gabon have shown. That is why General Abdulsalami remains a beacon of hope and peace. As for Bishop Kukah, a priest with immense human touch and a public intellectual who has contributed unreservedly to shaping public policy and the narrative of peace in this country, I cannot ask for more. It is, therefore, an icing on the cake that I work with both of them, and other members, to support the activities of the Peace Committee. So far, it has been a learning process for me, exciting and exhilarating, to say the least.
Has the work of the committee impacted on your priesthood negatively or positively?
I am happy that you asked this question. Recently, I was in the village to spend sometime with my parents, and someone asked whether I have left the Catholic priesthood, considering my recent appearances with the top echelon of the political class. I told him, I cannot sacrifice my priesthood for anything. You see, in the last 30 to 50 years, we are used only to the culture of seeing Catholic priests in Nigeria domesticated to the pulpit and Church environment. That culture is changing very fast. We live in a generation where beyond the pulpit, many priests and nuns are making immense contributions to society as medical doctors, engineers, architects. This flows from the history of the Church itself. For instance, in the Middle Ages, education and other civilizing influences were entirely in the hands of the Church. Priests were architects, philosophers, chief advisers to kings and queens, expert farmers, musicians, glassmakers etc. The Pope also intervened in the nomination of senior officials and summoned them before his tribunal in cases of embezzlement. Through the Pope, priests were in charge of food supplies, building bridges, defensive walls and so many other things. These were done not because the priests and the Pope wanted self-glory, not because they wanted cheap popularity, but because the central message of Christianity is love, peace, justice and human dignity. Priests are expected to be the authentic custodians of love, peace and justice. They are living protectors of human dignity and sacred traditions. Besides, there has always been the bastion of diplomacy and development. All institutions of diplomacy and development initiatives in the world trace their history to the Catholic Church. As such, working for the Peace Committee is simply taking on a role assigned to me by the nature of my vocation as a priest. Besides, I studied Arabic and Islam for two years in Egypt, living with a Muslim family and understanding the culture of Islam and dialogue. I also had a post-graduate degree in Political Islam and Inter-Religious Dialogue from Rome, before graduating with a PhD in African Politics, Conflict and Terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the work of the Peace Committee has not stopped me from being a priest. I carry out all my priestly functions dutifully and diligently, with utmost loyalty and joy as assigned to me by competent Church authorities. The Peace Committee has only given me an extra platform to preach peace, contribute to peace and to deepen the culture of peace in Nigeria. Jesus himself is the Prince of Peace and it is, therefore, really a privilege to serve in this capacity.
As the head of the National Peace Committee Secretariat, has the objective of setting up the secretariat been met?
Following the success of the All Political Parties Summit organized by Senator Ben Obi (who was then the Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs) on 14 January, 2015, the National Peace Committee was set up, with efforts from Ben Obi, Emeka Anyaoku and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. It was then decided that the Kukah Centre should be the Secretariat of the Peace Committee. What has happened is that in 2018, an extra office complex at the Kukah Centre was furnished for that purpose to accommodate the expanding work and demands made on the Committee. So, to answer your question, yes, to a large extent, the objective of setting up the Secretariat has been achieved. As you would expect, the Secretariat provides technical and logistic supports to the members of the Committee. Consultants have been hired to constantly highlight and provide policy analysis on conflict and flashpoint areas, electoral and human rights abuses, as well as violations of the Peace Accords. Their recommendations enable the Peace Committee to intervene and engage with stakeholders at the highest level of government. Additionally, the Secretariat co-ordinates and archives the reports of all the activities of the Committee. It documents and stores these reports for the sake of posterity and history. Thus, having a Secretariat to support the Peace Committee members, and to constantly brief Committee members and facilitates NPC’s intervention programmes. So, I will say that the setting up of the NPC Secretariat and the appointment of the Head of Secretariat and other support staff have greatly enhanced the functioning of the Committee. It has also allowed for the visibility and impact of the NPC’s work. It has equally made the NPC more accessible.
People believe that those who signed the peace accord did not keep to the spirit of the agreement. Going by the violence and killings that took place during the 2019 general election, do you think people will come to the National Peace Committee again?
One of the unique features of the Peace Committee is the neutrality and convening power of its members. Politics in Nigeria is very intense, sectarian, highly ethnicised and contrived. To navigate this political environment requires patience, commitment, sagacity and sacrifice. We all know that since 1999, every democratic election in Nigeria is predicated on doom, and conducted with varying degrees of violence. The outcome of the elections themselves are constantly contested in the court of law. President Muhammadu Buhari who contested three times (2003, 2007 and 2011) before he won the 2015 general elections, contested the outcomes of the previous elections in court. Therefore, I totally admire all the Peace Committee members for the efforts they have put in to ensure that peace reigns in this country. While I do not wish to dismiss or even disparage public opinion about the interventions of the Committee members, at the same time, it is just fair to state that indicators for the violence we have seen during the 2019 elections have been with us, years and months before the 2019 elections. Elections were being conducted in a context and in an environment already riddled with violence and littered with guns and bullets. Already, there were spillover grievances and unresolved complaints that followed the conduct of the Osun and Ekiti elections in 2018. Many other political parties have also expressed their deep concerns about laws crafted by the National Assembly to ensure the use of technology and to avoid human conveyor belts that could interfere with election results. Again, months before the 2019 elections, there were several litigations against INEC. The issue of vote buying and vote selling became a matter of great concern, as well as the escalating levels of insecurity in the country. It became pertinent for the Peace Committee to address some of these issues before the 2019 general elections. Consequently, the Committee held series of plenary meetings from November, 2018 – February 2019, with political parties, security agencies, INEC, the media and key stakeholders. Beyond plenary meetings, other engagements included series of strategic meetings between the NPC and observation missions, embassies and heads of delegations. In fact, fake news and the circulation of fake results, including the rumour mill that followed the announcement of the results of the 2019 Presidential elections, generated lots of tension across the country. The manner in which the victory was celebrated by some people clearly reinforced division rather than call for unity within the country. The rigging, the ballot box snatching, the killings and outright exclusion of many voters from the process led to calls on the NPC to intervene. The rhetoric and the impending violence eventually necessitated the intervention of the Peace Committee members to bring calm and restore order. From February 27 to March 2, 2019, the NPC held series of meetings with key politicians to douse the tension and to call for calm, reminding political gladiators of their commitment to the Peace Accord signed by them. They were requested to call on their followers to maintain decorum, avoid provocative utterances and put the country first before personal interest. The outcome of the presidential elections, with varying degrees of violence, and abuse of the process meant that the Peace Committee had to intervene again to forestall further conflict in various states. Consequently, before the governorship elections, the National Peace Committee, in partnership with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), carried out interventions in states, such as Kano, Benue, Kwara and Kaduna. After the governorship elections on March 9, 2019, the results from Kano, Benue, Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi and Plateau were declared inconclusive. The process in Rivers State was suspended indefinitely. Dates were fixed for rerun and the threats of possible violence during the rerun elections were real. Once again, the Peace Committee had to intervene in these states. The objective was to encourage voter turnout, promote peaceful elections and respect for the rule of law. This particular intervention was targeted at vulnerable individuals and groups likely to be exploited by political actors for violence. Even if the Peace Committee was unable to completely stop violence in some states, at least, it contributed substantially to reducing the level of carnage and atrocities that would have been committed on a large scale. We must appreciate the effort of the committee.
What will the National Peace Committee do to ensure post-election peace? Are there things you do underground to maintain peace?
The wrong perception some Nigerians have about the Peace Committee is to tie it simply to facilitating peaceful election and transition, particularly the programme of signing Peace Accords. While this may be important for the purpose of optics and reducing political tension, it is necessary to point out that it is not the only mandate of the Peace Committee. Again, it is good to note that the Committee has no executive, judicial or legislative powers. It only has a moral voice of which over the years, it has deployed to the benefit of peace and stability in Nigeria. Consequently, the moral responsibility of the committee goes beyond elections. It includes providing strategies and policy recommendations on peace and stability across the country. Of course, some of the interventions of the Committee cannot be made public. The Committee is working day and night to advise government, engage stakeholders and sue for peace across the country. The committee equally has a retinue of consultants and policy analysts that conduct research and provide policy strategies to support and engage the government in ensuring peace. Since most of the violence took place at the state level, the Committee also works with the state governments to develop state-based peace committees – which are already operational in such states as Kano, Taraba and Plateau.
How do you rate the 2019 general election vis-a-vis, the 2015 general election?
To be honest, I do not know whether it is fair to compare these two elections. Comparing the two elections is like comparing a one-eyed man with a man who has no eyes at all. Rather, what we should be doing is discussing the cause of blindness in the first place. The problem is that people are keen to dwell so much on the actual conduct of the election rather that the processes that led to the conduct of the elections. Both elections are products of the historical manipulation of political processes in this country, and the nature, extent and flavour of these manipulations are both unique and similar. The 2015 general elections generated so much tension and anxiety that many informed analysts predicted the complete disintegration of Nigeria. The situation was made worse by the very vitriolic tone of the campaigns dominated by hate slurs, ethnic bigotry and religious prejudices. Despite all these, former President Goodluck Jonathan participated in all the peace meetings and conferences called by the Peace Committee. He equally signed the Peace Accord and when he lost, he made the famous phone call and handed over power. His classic statement ‘my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian’ saved the country from possible bloodbath. In the same vein, the political process leading up to the 2019 elections created severe fears and concerns. The number of registered political parties increased to 91, with almost 73 presidential candidates, the highest number in the history of this country. This created massive logistical problems for INEC. Party primaries were riddled with irregularities and intrigues. INEC, the electoral umpire was daunted with court cases that became disruptive and distracting. The impending elections saw the emergence of the two major candidates; the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the main opposition, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Another major concern was the increase in the circulation of fake news, hate speeches and misinformation before and after the announcement of the presidential results. It is an open secret that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has refused to accept defeat and is now in court. Yet, some of the issues outlined above should have been dealt with by institutions empowered by law to do so. However, in many instances, the Peace Committee has to engage with relevant stakeholders to remind them about their constitutional responsibilities to ensure that the elections are peaceful, and that violence is avoided at all cost. The ability of these eminent Nigerians to come together and convene political stakeholders at the highest level of government remains a significant contribution to peace and stability.
How many political parties signed the peace accord at the presidential level?
You know we had two Peace Accords that were signed. The first was signed on 13 December, 2018. It was intended to bring together all political parties, to encourage them to conduct peaceful campaigns and political rallies devoid of intimidation, incitement, hate speech and violence. The parties were requested to respect the rule of law, and to help deepen democracy by conducting issue-based campaigns rather than attacking individual candidates. At this event, 49 presidential candidates signed, while 57 political parties also signed. Despite some violations of this Accord, my opinion is that the campaigns were generally peaceful, and not as violent as some political analysts and commentators suggested. The second signing of the Peace Accord took place on February 13, 2019. It brought together all the presidential candidates of the registered political parties, and ensured that they committed themselves to accepting the outcome of the vote as long as it is adjudged to be free, fair and credible. The Accord also stipulated that any rejection of the outcome of the election should not result in violence, but should be resolved by a competent court of law. Forty-six Presidential candidates, including President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar signed, while 48 political parties also signed.
What efforts should political parties make to ensure free, fair and credible election devoid of violence?
I think it is important that political parties allow for internal and external regulations. They should agree to work with INEC to make conditions for setting up political parties more effective and productive. Political parties should undertake responsibilities linked to voter education and non-violent conduct of its members. However, political parties alone cannot solve the problems of elections facing this country. We need to have a conversation about INEC and how to make the commission more effective in the delivery of free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
