By Emeka Umeagbalasi

Pre-Election Violence & Property Destruction:

Less than 48 hours or two days to the first leg (N/A poll) of the all-important April general elections in Nigeria, it may be correct to say that over 130 Nigerian citizens have been killed outside the law and over 400 injured in pre-election related violence since July 2010. Again, July 2010 was the peak of the pre-election activities in Nigeria as a result of the INEC’s earlier schedule to hold elections in December 2010 and January 2011 respectively.

Nigerians voting on an election day

And these deaths did not include deaths arising from sectarian and other allied killings that rocked different parts of Nigeria in recent times. An internationally respected human rights watchdog, the Amnesty International believes that between July 2010 and middle of March 2011, “at least, 50 people have been killed in election-related violence in Nigeria.” But further findings by our leadership have shown steady increase in the number of deaths and property destruction since the Amnesty International’ s respected statement was made public in the middle of March 2011 . In the locally and internationally disputed 2007 general elections, “at least, 300 people were killed” (Human Rights Watch).

Some of the killings that had taken place since July 2010, especially since January 2011, are as follows: 9-01-2011, four persons were killed in the home town of Mr. Timi Alaibe, a former presidential aide and the Labour Party governorship candidate in Bayelsa State during a campaign rally;28-01-2011,Engineer Fannami Gubio , the ANPP’s governorship candidate in Borno State and seven others, including Alhaji Godi Modu Sherrif and a ten year old boy, were shot dead near a Mosque in Maiduguiri, the capital city of Borno State;1st February 2011, a political party aspirant and MOSOP activist, Mr. Richard Nima was killed in Eleme LGA of Rivers State;9-02-2011, two children were shot dead near the palace of the Emir of Lafia in Nassarawa State when the security forces fired at the anti government demonstrators;12-02-2011, between 12 and 20 people were killed in the security forces-instigated stampede that occurred in Port Harcourt, Rivers State during the PDP’s presidential rally.

Others are: 3-03-2011, four persons were killed in Suleja, Niger State, in a bomb blast that went off moments after the political rally attended by Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State;19-03-2011, three persons were killed in Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State during a campaign rally organised by the ANPP(All Nigerian People’s Party) governorship candidate;21-03-2011,three persons were killed in Lagos State (Lagos Island) during a clash between the supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria and those of the People’s Democratic Party;21-03-2011,seven persons were killed in Jos, Plateau State during a rally attended by the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, Alhaji Muhammed Buhari; and same day, a security detail attached to Senator Uzamere was reportedly shot and killed by some assailants who reportedly made an attempt on the life of the senator in Edo State during a political campaign tour.

On 22-03-2011, at least twelve people were killed in Akwa Ibom State in clashes between the militant supporters of the PDP’s governorship candidate/incumbent governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio and the governorship candidate of the ACN, Senator John Udodehe. Over 200 mostly brown new vehicles and 500 tricycles belonging to the commonwealth of the people of Akwa Ibom State valued at about N1billion (open market value) and other properties were destroyed during the violent clashes.

In reprisal attacks that took place in the capital city of Uyo; and on Sunday, 27-03-2011, on Friday, 25-03-2011, at least, five more people were killed and properties destroyed; and on 27-03-2011, an ANPP stalwart in Borno State, Alhaji Modu Mechaniki was shot and killed. There have been reports of further violence in Ogun, Ekiti, Osun and Jigawa States, etc, and in March 2011 alone, at least, 40 people have been killed. Just like the 34,000 Nigerians killed outside the law between 1999 and 2010, including over 200 political assassinations that mostly went un-investigated and un-prosecuted, these new wave of killings are meted with the same fate, and their perpetrators have remained on the prowl.

Faulty National Register Of Voters:

Another serious threat to the all-important polls is Prof. Attahiru Jega’s bloated, raw, inflated and unverified National Register of Voters of 73.5 million. INEC’s refusal to weed the Register of unwanted figures through a biometric process called Automated Fingerprint Identification System or AFIS is Prof. Attahiru Jega’s major undoing. It is correct to say that the Register is currently housing between 18million and 23.5million unwanted and unwarranted figures.

To reflect the demographic and scientific realities, the correct figure ought to be 45million to 50million, that is to say 35% of the country’s estimated 150million population, which is the rightful proportion for Nigeria’s active adult population that registered to vote. There are also those who wished not to be registered owing to denominational zealotry or social “retreatism”. More facts, some of which from fresh graduates that served in the northern part of the country during the voter registration exercise, have emerged to the effect that any credible AFIS process done by INEC after the registration exercise would have exposed and robbed the North of millions of multiple registrations, non-biometric registrations, registration of aliens in the spirit of Afro-Asiatic confraternity and voter-baptism extended to carrots, onions and live-stock so as to consolidate its falsely wide demographic dominance over the South.

Other than these, “bonuses “were seemingly offered to the policy-making segment of the Nigerian public (governing authorities and frontline politicians) in other parts of the country by the present INEC leadership in the form of (dead)”registered voters”. Already, the Ezenwenyis of this world are in their hotel rooms working hard to ensure that these dead votes count on the elections’ days.

Use Of Psychology Of Politics By Candidates:

This is a criminal campaign strategy deployed by mischievous politicians to deceive prospective voters by promising them “paradise” on earth. It is effectively used in barely literate society such as where traders and artisans are dominant. In the ongoing campaigns across the country, including Anambra State, it is commonly used. Most of the senatorial, house of reps. and State Assembly candidates now promise building of roads, air and sea ports, as well as provision of water, electricity and health-care facilities when elected.

Most of these candidates appear not to understand the primary duties of a lawmaker. And none of them has carried out any research into the deficiencies inherent in our body of laws and simulated on their possible remedies. Their main interests are rooted in mercantilism and power. The bountiful pay packages available in the National and State Assemblies, such as over N200m annual take-home, bribe-for-bills’ passage and bloated constituency allowances, remain their major aims of wanting to be in the hallowed legislative chambers at the Federal and the State levels.

It does not matter to them that our electoral laws are in jeopardy; that our criminal justice system is locomotive and smoky; that most of the international treaties ratified by Nigeria are yet to be domesticated and others yet to ratified and domesticated; and that Chapter Two of our revered Constitution is still haunted by ouster clauses, among others.