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A pattern is steadily emerging in the South East that may cost the zone much in the 2023 general elections, if not properly handled. One is not given to conspiracy theories. They are hardly helpful. But it may take some guts to dismiss the gradual resurgence of violence in the South East as mere happenstance.
Perhaps, at no time in Nigeria’s contemporary political history had zone the closest chance of winning the presidency as it has, now. In terms of capacity, carriage, content and delivery, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), stands out clearly from his opponents, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). There is nothing new that Tinubu and Atiku can offer. Their time is gone, for good. Not so with Obi.
He is a man of the moment, not associated with any baggage but rather, antecedents of transparency and accountability which hallmarked his years as Anambra state governor. Besides, his message of turning around the country and refocusing it from consumption to production, resonates with Nigerians, especially the youths who have over the years, been grossly marginalised by the leadership class.
Nigerians of good conscience who are agreed that the South East has been unfairly treated in the scheme of things, also see in Obi’s emergence an opportunity to close that chapter of the country’s history of injustice and give the region a sense of belonging. But all these considerations and expectations appear threatened by the climate of insecurity in the area.
Since the commencement of the ongoing critical stage towards the election, the environment in the South East has become charged. The moment the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced plans for registration of voters and dates for collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), its facilities and officials became objects of attacks by gunmen in Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo. Imo has been the hardest hit with Ihitte-Uboma, Orlu and Owerri offices of the commission violated, severally.
At the same time, a viral audio recording attributed to the Simon Ekpa faction of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), had warned residents of the area from going out from December 9 to 14, threatening mayhem on anyone that dared it. Those that attempted going to work and their places of business in some parts of Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi, were attacked by enforcers of the sit-at-home order. Some were even killed. With the fear infused in the people, the PVC collection exercise in the region has become threatened. The worse is the insinuation that similar directives would be issued by any of the groups in the days leading to the election.
You can understand why the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called for the arrest and repatriation of Ekpa from Finland, where he is residing. That seems the most the Ohanaeze can do in the present circumstances. But how far can that go? That is precisely the question.
Election in Nigeria at whatever level, is a big deal, not necessarily as avenue to render service but a chance to gain access to the public till. In that case, anything goes, including the resort to the most unscrupulous to outwit an opponent. When people therefore suspect that there is more to the sudden resurgence of insecurity in the South East, barely two months to the election, you may not entirely wave aside their thinking. As it is, everyone is a suspect in the ugly development in the region until proven innocent.
Already, it is being gradually mentioned in several official quarters that the upsurge in violence in the zone may affect the conduct of elections there. The argument is that it would be fatalistic to deploy personnel and resources to the area in the face of insecurity.
But that is where the government, as the sovereign comes in. That is where the constitutional function of the government in guaranteeing the safety and welfare of the people and their property, is being brought to test. The government exists for the people. Since 2009, the North East zone has been under the weight of terrorism and insurgency. The North West has been lately confronted with the challenge of banditry. The North Central has had the menace of farmer-herder clashes to contend with. The South West, has been rattled by kidnappers and other sundry criminal elements. Activism is yet to be completely obliterated in the South-South region. At no time in these unusual developments were Nigerians in the affected zones denied the right to vote or be voted for. Government has always provided security for the people, in line with its constitutional duty. The South East should not be an exception.
The sovereignty of Nigeria as a nation becomes compromised the moment the federal government abdicates its responsibilities in the South East to non-state actors and allows them to dictate what happens in the zone. Contemplation of election not holding in the area because of violence in some states, should not arise in the first place.
It is an admission of failure on the part of the federal government. At the same time, seeing the situation in the area as an affair for the governors and the people, amounts to being clever by half.
The processes for the 2023 general elections have started with INEC fixing Monday, December 12, 2022 to Sunday, January 22, 2023 as dates for the collection of the PVCs in all the 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission throughout the Federation.
PVC collection is a critical factor in election processes. Possession of valid PVC entitles the electorate with the right to vote. Any voter that is denied the voter’s card is disenfranchised. That amounts to violation of his rights.
No Nigerian should be denied the opportunity to have his card or vote at the election. That is why government should take the security situation in the South East and other parts of the country, seriously. The people need the assurances that they can go out to pick their cards and vote on election day, without fear of attack or molestation.
The 2023 election means a lot to Nigerians and the country. The credibility of the election and its outcome will be in question if any part of the country is excluded from voting, for whatever reasons. There is still time for the government to address the rising violence in the south east and give the people a sense of belonging.
