ELECTIONS are the best opportunities for Nigerians to say the worst things about their opponents. Threats and counter threats appear are also making increasing appearances in the news. Are they the selling points of candidates in the elections? We heard similar threats in the governorship elections that passed peacefully in Ekiti and Osun States last year.

However, the stakes are higher this month. The capacities for violence are higher in a general election than in the limited interest two States presented. Utterances of politicians and their associates, if they are unchecked, could set off a wave of violence that can escalate the security situation.

As the economy slows down, opportunities become less available elsewhere and the pervading influences of governments in our lives persist, desperation sets in, more so for those who have lived off governments for decades. They cannot imagine life without depending on public resources. They are mortified by possibilities that they could be outside the power loop after the elections.

They are imposing personal stakes on decisions about who becomes what after the elections. They are unconcerned about the larger society. Memories of the 2011 post-election violence are fresh. The current primaries and campaigns have witnessed spates of violence.

Thugs are back. As businesses go, they are in their peak season. They have no reason to abandon a profitable venture. We did not punish thugs who destroyed lives and property during the 2011 elections. Efforts were not even made to arrest them.

Government assumed responsibility for the losses by paying compensations to victims. It is instructive that nobody was punished for riots that swept through many States. Some political leaders openly promised trouble if certain candidates did not win – and there was trouble.

Mobs act on behalf of their sponsors, who equip, feed and pay them. They lap up their principals’ violent utterances, assured the law would not inconvenience them. The law excuses murderers and arsonists when they act for politicians. Duplicity in treating electoral offences prospers violence.

Every Nigerian has rights to lawfully canvass his views. Every Nigerian has rights to legitimate alliances to access power under constitutional provisions on freedom of association. Politicians should avoid being so consumed about winning elections that they forget that the violence they preach could consume them.

Laws guide our country. Those who aspire to lead – and their supporters – must eschew threats from their ambitions. Instead of threats, they should tell Nigerians how their leadership would improve Nigeria under a more trying economic situation.

There are enough worries about Nigeria’s future. Violence can only exacerbate them.