Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday, warned that the 2023 general election might be jeopardised if the spate of attacks on its facilities across the country is not checked.
Yakubu raised the alarm while speaking at a public hearing by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating attacks on INEC offices and facilities across the country.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, while declaring the hearing open, said the House of Representatives was disturbed by the systematically orchestrated attacks, not only because it poses a threat to INEC’s capacity to conduct the 2023 general election, but also because it is an attack on democratic governance and the perpetrators of these attacks are enemies.
“It is on these basis that the House of Representatives not only unequivocally condemned these nefarious attacks, but also resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incessant attacks on INEC facilities. We are indeed hopeful that at the end of this investigation, the Committee would be able to come up with far-reaching recommendations that will not only bring an end to these unfortunate attacks on our democracy, but also ensure that the perpetrators of the nefarious acts will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Gbajabiamila said.
While addressing the committee, Yakubu stated that despite the attacks, the Commission was determined to continue with the preparations for the elections, warning, however, that the implications would be far reaching if not curtailed.
“We are determined that we would continue with our preparations for the 2023 general election. All the facilities would be rebuilt or alternatives found and materials would be replaced. However, should such attacks continue at the pace at which they are happening at the moment, the Commission may find it increasingly difficult to recover in good time for the election. If it is about the attacks, yes we can recover, but if the attacks continue, it would be very difficult for the commission to recover. That is why concerted efforts to stop these attacks has become imperative and we hope this public hearing would contribute to the required outcome,” he said.
According to the INEC boss, the Commission would make alternative arrangements to cope with facilities that have been destroyed so far.
He added: “The attacks have far-reaching implications on preparation for the general election. First, the facilities that are destroyed, especially offices, would take time to rebuild. They are not like items of procurement that you can procure off the shelf.
So, an alternative arrangement has to be made. In some of the states, in addition to these malicious attacks, other matters that have arisen as a result of fire and flooding, we would have to make alternative arrangements by renting. In some places, we can find facilities to rent. In some of the remote areas, we may not find facilities to rent. So, we have to look for alternatives to damaged facilities.
“Secondly, several materials lost would have to be replaced. In the recent attacks, some of the PVCs for instance were lost. For the PVCs, we have instructed our state offices to send the Voter Identification Numbers of the PVCs lost so we can reprint. We can, from our database, quickly regenerate and reprint the cards so that citizens are not disenfranchised.
“The Commission and security agencies must also continue to provide safety around the facilities and this, as I said earlier, may be very challenging, because the security agencies are also protecting all of us and other national assets.
“Now, we have to rebuild the facilities and our funds are over stretched by a number of factors. We cannot continue to replace and rebuild. And what is even more worrisome for us is the attack in Izzi local council of Ebonyi State. The building was first attacked on May 18, 2012. We found the resources in our election project plan budget to rebuild the office and we did so. We rebuilt the office and our staff moved in on Friday. On Sunday that weekend, the office was burnt down again and there are five such offices nationwide where in spite of our best efforts, the facility was attacked not only once, but twice. We have five offices in which even after rebuilding or trying to rebuild, the offices were attacked again.”
The Deputy Director in Charge of Prosecution at the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF), Yusuf Abdullahi, told the committee that the office has never received any request for the prosecution of suspects responsible for the attacks.
Abdullahi said: “The OAGF is in charge of prosecution, whether IG, DSS or other security agencies. Once they forward cases to us for prosecution with particular reference to the subject matter in discussion now, which has to do with arrest and prosecution on attacks on offices of INEC; so, as far as the office is concerned, we have not formally received any request for prosecution on that one. That is the content of our letter. However, as soon as we receive, whether terrorism, banditry or attacks, once we receive, we commence action and ensure that we keep legal advice, analyse evidence and prosecute.”
Following his response, Chairman of the Committee, Taiwo Oluga, said: “Are you saying since we have been having these incessant attacks, your office has not received any request for prosecution? Are you saying that from 2019, the office of the Attorney General has not received request from the police or INEC to prosecute? That means they have not made an arrest. I said something; when a crime keeps going on without punishment, it grows with impunity and the office of the Attorney General is the only one that can help us once they are apprehended, prosecuted and punished.
“The office of the AGF is before Nigerians and telling Nigerians that you have not received any. If you have received, how many? If you are coming before this committee, you are supposed to have been prepared to let Nigerians know that you have been working.
“What we would do to move on is that we are going to take you on a separate day, because you are not ready for us. Even from your submission, you are not ready for us, if you cannot come and tell us that you are trying to prosecute and you have prosecuted and you have done this or done that. Because when these people apprehend, they cannot prosecute. It is your office and you allow the evils to be growing. That is the meaning. So, we are going to take you at a later date. We would communicate. Unfortunately, we only have three weeks to complete this assignment. We would write to you again and you forward your submission so we can marry it with the report we would give to the House.”
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali, on his part, blamed politicians and secessionist groups in the South East and South West for the violence.
Represented by DIG in charge of Department of Operations, Dandaura Mustapha, he said: “The Nigeria Police being the lead agency in internal security and elections generally is always at the receiving end. Whatever happens it is duty of the police to protect here and there.
“When INEC finally lifted ban on campaigns, the campaigns commenced and what we realised initially was inter and intra-party disputes. We realised that members of political parties were destroying billboards, posters and campaign offices in some part of the states.
This we quickly alerted the Commissioners of Police in-charge of the commands and gave them clear directives that it is the right of every political party to go to all the nooks and crannies of the society and campaign. It is a constitutional right so on no account should a state governor or any state actor prevent political parties from moving about to do their campaigns.
“We now come to the immediate attack on INEC facilities. Of recent, the ones that took place were in Osun and Ogun states; then last week in Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu states.
“What we discovered is that we all know in this country, it is a well-known fact that in the south-east geo-political zone we have issues of secessionists — the IPOB and ESN. These groups are bent on stopping elections from taking place in the South East.
“They have been attacking our personnel; they have been killing our personnel. They have been retrieving arms from members of the security agencies not only the police – the military and other paramilitary organisations that are there.
“They have been doing it, especially now that the embargo on campaigns have been lifted. The election is approaching very fast and they are putting much pressure to see that this election does not hold in the South East political zone.
“In the South West, we equally have the pro-Yoruba secessionists that are equally bent on not allowing election to take place in their areas, hence the attacks on INEC facilities in Osun and Ogun states of recent.
“There is also an issue of failed and desperate politicians who are bent on stopping INEC from conducting this election. The failed politicians are those who could not come back through any political parties, and as far as they are concerned, let everything spoil; let everything scatter. They are sponsoring illiterate followers and hoodlums to make sure that this general election does not hold and should not be successful.
“All these issues, we have gotten them and we have sat with the state Commissioners of Police and action taken by the IGP. On November 17, the IGP held a meeting with political parties leaders; INEC representatives were there. We discussed in length that all political parties are free to go about their campaigns in all the states and they should talk and work on their followers to desist from this hooliganism.
“The IGP equally held a meeting with all the operational officers of the other agencies, the military, Civil Defence officers and paramilitary agencies.
“We held a meeting on the 13th of this month with all the operational officers of all the security agencies and we discussed measures to be taken to safeguard the facilities of INEC.”
He, however, lamented the lack of synergy and intelligence gathering between the security agencies.
“The police is handicapped, as most of the people arrested are connected to high places. Police is under-staffed. We are not up to 400,000. We lack manpower. We need additional funding for recruitment. We lose personnel everyday and we need to replace,” he added.
The Commandant-General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi, also said the attacks were targeted at the 2023 elections. He said that the Civil Defence has lost its men in the crisis, especially in Imo State.
“It is glaring that one of the reasons for the attack is to prevent INEC from conducting a free, fair and credible election. It might disenfranchise some people and cost government money. We have increased deployment of men to curtail the attacks. We have also mounted surveillance on facilities across the country,” Audi said.
Meanwhile, 18 political parties and 14 governorship candidates, as well as federal and state legislative candidates in Kaduna State have signed a peace accord to show their commitment towards a peaceful 2023 general election in the state.
The peace accord was the highpoint of a high-level meeting of political parties, candidates and stakeholders for peaceful campaigns and elections in the state, yesterday.
The meeting was organised by the Kaduna State Peace Commission (KAPCOM) with support from Hope Action Progress; Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women (LANW) Action Aid; Christian Aid; Global Community Engagement and Resilient Fund (GCERF); SARVE and Global Peace Development (GPD).
The theme of the event was “Building consensus and mobilising collective action for peaceful 2023 general elections in Kaduna State”.
Among the stakeholders at the meeting were security agencies, who gave the assurance that they would provide enabling environment for peaceful and credible elections to all parties and candidates.
In his keynote address, chairman of KAPECOM, Most Reverend Josiah ldowu-Fearon, said democracy only thrives in an atmosphere of peace and social tranquility.
He stressed that political parties, candidates, supporters and the citizens could only exercise their free choice and franchise when law and order prevails.
He said: “Let’s collectively embrace the best democratic values, respect the dignity of the human person, eschew provocation and hate speech and campaigning along ethnic and religious lines.”
Idowu-Fearon, who spoke on the imperatives of Peaceful Elections in Entrenching Democracy in Nigeria, added that sustainable democracy and deepening of citizens participation is best achieved when there is collective agreement to be peaceful and commitment to peaceful processes.
He urged the political parties and candidates to remember that democracy requires not only free, fair and competitive elections, but also the freedoms that make them truly meaningful, which includes freedom of organisation and freedom of expression.