Two policemen were shot dead in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, where an election is scheduled to hold this weekend. The attack was reportedly carried out by unknown gunmen, who carted away with firearms belonging to the policemen and a 200-horsepower engine after the attack. This has created tension in the state and may likely affect voter turnout at the polls on Saturday.
However, the Commissioner of Police in the Bayelsa State Command, Mr Asuquo Amba, has assured indigenes of the state that the police are combing the creeks to locate the criminals and stall any events that may disrupt the elections.
A History of Casualties
Though the number of deaths has reduced significantly since 2015, electoral violence in Nigeria has remained common over the years. There is hardly an election without casualties counted before, during or after the elections.
Data from The Crisis Group shows that in 2011, over 700 people died in post-election violence protesting Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s victory. In 2003, 100 people died while 300 people died in 2007. During the 2015 elections, 106 people died, while 13 election-related deaths were reported during the 2019 polls.
Electoral violence in Nigeria always stems from the rejection of candidates or election results by citizens or by the opposition inciting citizens to take up arms.
A Case of Do or Die
Before the incidence with policemen in Bayelsa, the secretariat of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi was set ablaze. The SDP’s flag bearer Barrister Natasha Akpoti is the strongest opposition to incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was just recently permitted by a high court to participate in the elections after the country’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) attempted to disqualify her.
Incidences like the deaths in Bayelsa and the destruction of property in Kogi state continue to raise questions about the credibility and conduct of elections in Nigeria.
The ‘Do or Die’ nature of politics is shameful as many candidates campaign without thinking of the issues that really affect the indigenes of their state. A quick google search on elections in Nigeria will feature headlines surrounding deaths, fake news, irregularities, statistics on voters or results, but hardly anything on what candidates are campaigning for.
It is safe to assume that the country will do better with a total overhaul of not only electoral processes but also how candidates are selected in order to ensure a more wholesome voting exercise for the citizens.
