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Penalising The Poll-Rigging Puppeteers: Can The US And UK Aid Nigeria’s Quest For Just And Equitable Elections?
By Praise Ben
As the dust settles on Nigeria’s recent electoral showdown, the United States and the British governments are cooking up a storm of sanctions aimed at Nigerian political masterminds behind the scenes of violence, electoral hocus-pocus, and democracy-bending antics.
With these sanctions, the goal is to pin the blame on these conniving puppeteers, ensuring they pay for their misdeeds and snuffing out any chance of history repeating its twisted tale.
EDITOR’S PICKS
The US embassy in Nigeria called for Nigerian authorities to hold accountable and bring to justice any individuals found to have ordered or carried out efforts to intimidate voters and suppress voting during the election process. The British government’s Africa Minister, Andrew Mitchell, stated that members of their observation mission personally observed violence and voter suppression in numerous voting locations, adding that they are collating relevant information with a view to taking action against some individuals.
In a spirited outcry, the US condemned the fiery ethnoreligious lingo spouted by a handful of public and political hotshots. Meanwhile, the UK beseeched all leaders not only to steer clear of such incendiary chatter but to also hush those who voice their interests from sparking further discord in this fashion.
The just-concluded Nigerian general election was marked by the brazen deployment of tribal bile and slur by some politicians in an attempt to sway the electorate. Failed politicians who used to take it for granted that they would win because of weak opposition found themselves contending with new-wave candidates who are quite popular. Faced with imminent defeat, they resorted to ethnic baiting and an “us-versus-them” inflammatory narrative.
Electoral materials destroyed by thugs during an election
The upset caused in Lagos State by the presidential election made the operatives and minions of the entrenched political interest go haywire, threatening violence on Nigerians who intended to vote in a particular direction during the gubernatorial election. They followed this up with unbridled brigandage at the polls. So brazen were these thugs and ethnic jingoists in their hate speeches and action that the United States mission took notice and expressed deep concern over the deployment “of ethnically charged rhetoric before, during, and after the gubernatorial election in Lagos.”
Unfortunately, those close to the president-elect were the belligerent ones as they were found to be fanning the embers of ethnic division in Lagos State. Even Bola Tinubu’s chief spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, doubled down on an inciting tweet he made, which is too uncouth to be reproduced here. Similar slurs have been peddled on social media by Femi Fani-Kayode and APC foot soldiers in an apparent response to which the United Kingdom called “on all leaders not just to distance themselves from this kind of language but to prevent those who speak on their behalf from doing so in this way.”
These developments, variants of which regrettably manifested in other parts of the country like Rivers, Enugu, and Kano States, are condemnable. As widespread as the ethnically charged rhetoric was during the elections, it also caught the attention of Amnesty International. The Federal government was remiss as neither Lai Mohammed nor the presidency came out to denounce any of the statements, online or otherwise, which advocated violence against a specific ethnic group. Not even the law enforcement agencies called the agent provocateurs in for questioning.
FURTHER READING
Politicians can’t be allowed to brazenly beat the drums of war or stress the country’s fault lines just because they want to win an election. Nigeria’s very existence takes precedence over the loftiest dreams of power-seekers. It’s time for Nigerians to turn their backs on the ghastly games played by the political elite. We stand firm in the belief that if the people refuse to be swayed by the siren song of ethnic strife in the political arena, the politicians will be forced to forge new paths to win the hearts and minds of their constituents.
Praise Ben writes for Eko Hot Blog. This media platform reserves all rights to this article.
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