From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The National Peace Committee (NPC), yesterday, presented the 2023 general elections report in Abuja.
Present at the Secretariat of the NPC where the report was presented were the Chairman of the NPC and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar; the Convener of the NPC and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Revd (Dr) Matthew Hassan Kukah; members of the NPC which included the Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; former Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff respectively, Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai; immediate past Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; amongst others.
In the executive summary of the report, the NPC said in 2023, the situation before, during and after the elections were similar to previous years, but much more profound.
The NPC also said on the positive side, a new electoral framework, the Electoral Act 2022, a law that provided a more robust legal framework for the conduct of the polls, was in place.
The committee noted that there was a surge in youth interest in political proceedings never seen before in Nigeria, adding that citizens across the country became much more aware and were willing, using social media and technology to engage in political debates, among others.
The NPC however said like most elections in Nigeria, the 2023 general election was conducted under a deeply contentious, and disputed, atmosphere.
“A third force emerged, led by Mr. Peter Obi’s decision to join the Labour Party after decamping from PDP and for the first time in Nigeria’s fourth republic, three main parties (the All-Progressives Congress – APC, the People’s Democratic Party – PDP, and the Labour Party – LP) fought a hard, but divisive, campaign.
“Incidences of violence were recorded as indicators of what could possibly come. For example, on October 16, 2022, there was a clash between APC and PDP supporters in Zamfara state. One person was killed, and 18 others were injured. This was followed by another attack on October 17 by thugs during a PDP rally in Kaduna state.
Again, a mob beat up a Labour Party (LP) supporter in Lagos state, Southwest Nigeria on 2nd October. The incident, which took place in Oshodi Local Government Area (LGA), was the latest in a series of targeted attacks against supporters of candidates in opposition strongholds. The Southeast states of Enugu, Anambra, and Abia were faced with an increase in violence involving the Eastern Security Network (IPOB’s armed wing), unknown gunmen, as well as federal and state security forces. There were multiple attacks against prominent politicians in Anambra state alone, including Late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party, and the husband of late Dora Akunyili, Dr. Chike Akunyili. Frequent militia attacks have been reported across the Northwest, while the main security concerns in the North Central region, including the FCT were linked to elevated levels of banditry, militias, and kidnapping. ISWAP and Boko Haram’s activities in the Northeast were a cause for concern as insurgents waged attacks against government forces and set up checkpoints. Other southern parts remained susceptible to inter-communal clashes, mob violence, and general unrest, including attacks against INEC facilities,” the NPC said.
The NPC also said as a result of the reasons enumerated, it became necessary for the committee, ahead of the 2023 general elections, to come up with a strategic programme of intervention and to provide moral engagements that substantially contributed to peaceful elections and transition.
Speaking during the presentation, Abubakar said the NPC is working towards strategies to ensure compliance as far as the conduct of elections in the country were concerned.
Abubakar said: “Indeed, there are a lot of malpractices during elections. This we discussed with the Chairman of INEC and we are going to take it up with the security agencies whose responsibility is really to arrest and prosecute these offenders.
“So, so far, I think some of those who were arrested during the last elections are being prosecuted and I think I can’t give you the number so far, that have been prosecuted, but the rate of prosecution in the courts has not really be optimal. So, we are going to take that up with the security agencies to ensure that offenders or malpractice offenders for the elections are really brought to book so that they can serve as a deterrent to other people who are planning to do that.”
Asked if the NPC will change strategies in carrying out its activities, Abubakar further said world over, politics is becoming more dangerous as evident during the last election in Britain and what is happening in America with the campaign going on.
Abubakar disclosed that the NPC has discussed with the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and definitively, the NPC will put more efforts in its outreach so that there can be peaceful elections in the country.
“Indeed, for any situation, we have to adopt new tactics as the case demands. So, we are thinking about that, we discussed that with the INEC Chairman, so I will not tell you exactly the tactics we are going to use so that when we apply them, we hope we will achieve what we want to do,” Abubakar stated.
Earlier, the committee, through its Head of Secretariat, Revd Fr Atta Barkindo, said lack of compliance with policies and guidelines and legal framework, issues of trust deficit, citizens’ limited political awareness, technological challenges, poverty and dispossession impacted on credible process of the elections.
The NPC recommended a whole society approach, changing social economic conditions by the government in power as a way forward, even as it tasked INEC to comply with guidelines that have been put in place.
On his part, Mahmood told reporters that the NPC assured INEC that it was favourable disposed towards deploying to the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections.