Audu Andrew, 45, stood under the Moringa tree arms akimbo while his little son tugged at his pants for attention. Audu’s attention rather, was on the conversations among his fellow Internally Displaced Persons (originally from Logo and Guma Local Government Areas in Benue), bothering on the upcoming 2019 elections.
Audu, a private school teacher from Nasarawa state and his family found safety at the displaced persons camp in Daudu (Daudu is home to over 3000 undocumented IDPs living in dome-shaped tents). He escaped armed herdsmen attacks in Obi local government area in Nasarawa (a Tiv community) just like his peers from the neighbouring Logo and Guma LGAs after a January 2017 invasion of their communities. Twenty people were killed in these attacks while about 80,000 people were internally displaced according to the State Emergency Management Agency.
Audu’s sojourn began at a Primary School in Mbawa, a small community where the IDPs were temporarily kept. He told me had lost everything and now depends on alms from donors and hopes that the various promises made by the government would be kept. He is mostly disappointed. Over a year now nothing has been done and he is unable to do anything about it. Audu lost his voter’s card while fleeing for his life.
“Is it my fault that my community was attacked? I am pained that I cannot exercise my constitutional rights, I lost three of my brother in that attack. I want the next president to work on security.”
I asked him if he was aware of the plans by INEC to allow IDPs vote. “INEC has not visited our camps for any form of sensitization program. We are not aware of the new bills.” Audu responded.
I made several efforts to contact Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, the INEC Director in charge of Voter Education and Publicity for his reaction including calls and text messages to his mobile phone but without success.
IDPs constitute about 1.1% of Nigeria’s population although there are no official figures of registered voters in camps. INEC recently released a framework and regulations for IDP voting that would allow intra-state IDPs (people in IDP camps in the state where they are registered) to vote in all elections while the inter-state IDPs (those in camps outside their registration state) would be restricted to the Presidential elections alone. However, Nigerian IDPs in locations outside the country would have no such privilege.
Unlike Audu, some displaced persons survived the herders’ conflict and are ready to vote. 57-year-old Joseph Sontor who also fled his hometown, Guma following the herdsmen attacks, had in hand his voter count. With his three wives and 12 children, Joseph believes his vote counts and his decisions will affect his family. “As a farmer, I use to harvest over 100 bags of soybeans, maize, and tons of yams. Imagine that I have been in this camp since January not earning an income.”
Though he tells me he intends to vote, Joseph sounds disappointed about politicians and their failed promises as he narrated his experience from the 2015 campaigns. “They came to our village to tell us they will bring change. I wanted Nigeria to change but look at me today, I am in an IDP camp. Isn’t it better to die than to continue with the suffering here.”
Martha Tsa, a 37-year-old widow, narrated to me how the voter’s card is being deployed as a means of receiving aid. “Some people will come here and say let’s see your PVC before handing out food.” She made several efforts to obtain a voter’s card but the INEC official on ground denied her access to the registration process, she tells me.
Martha does not have a PVC. Like Audu and many other IDPs in Daudu village, she will not be voting in the forthcoming general elections.
This story first appeared on our microsite for the Nigerian 2019 general elections.
