Emerging Threats To Peace in 2023 General Elections, South-South, Nigeria; Episode 2: Akwa Ibom in Focus

 RALLY FOR PEACEFUL ELECTION

EPISODE 2 : THURSDAY 26^TH JANUARY, 2023 (10AM - 11AM)

Discussion: Emerging Threats To Peace in 2023 General Elections, South-South, Nigeria 

Focus: Akwa Ibom

Discussants: Edidiong Enang; Edidiong Okorukpong; Ifiok Umoren

Introduction: The only way to peace is peace and it is the responsibility of everyone to contribute their quota towards peace. The key actors in the 2023 General Elections were identified as:

 

1.      Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

2.      The Law Enforcement Agents (LEA)

3.      The Political Parties and their Candidates

4.      The Civil Society Actors

5.      The Citizens/Masses/ Intending Voters

6.      The Journalists and other Media Agents.

7.      The Private Business Sector

 
Some threats that were identified included but not limited to the followings:

 1.      History repeating itself where some persons feel they can use violence to get into office and also use the same violence to oppress as well as intimidate. This violence come with this entitlement mentality where some sets of persons feels they can get away with what they do.

Weak political system where there is Intra and Inter party conflicts; This is a threat to peace where members of same political party or rival political party see themselves as enemies to the point that they can target each other for assassination. They also go about destroying properties under the guise that it was done by their opponents.

2.      Vote buying and vote selling already taking place. Since politicians may not be able to stuff ballot boxes or carry out other manipulation, they are going about to buy off the voters cards of citizens in areas that are not their strong holds.

3.      Media (particularly the social media) has a part to play in peace and violence, there are cases where inaccurate information that can be viewed as hate speech or spread violence. At times, some of the media actors do not verify information before putting them out.

4.      Lack of orientation of Election Observers, Monitors and Presiding Officers who may interfere with the election process and some of them are partisan. Development workers including CSOs who have openly demonstrated their stand for a political party; this would definitely affect their report as the people already know them to be partisan. CSOs are not supposed to openly demonstrate their stand for any political party to avoid bias.

5.      Inadequate mass literacy as many rural dwellers (it is estimated that about 70%) do not have access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even the zoom platform. Considering that with the gaging of the press, information distortion and other limitations, which fuel crisis.

6.      Ethnic, cultural and identity dichotomy having citizens divided along these lines and this also play a role in information distortions amongst others. When Citizens are not well informed, they can take laws into their hands and the consequences might be severe.

7.      The high incidence of kidnapping in various areas would also intimidate citizens and affect their participation in the election. Considering that there is this accusation that the kidnapping activities are being carried out by some set of people could be a threat to peace as the suspected groups are prone to attack.          

 Recommended Way forward:

1.      Actors should do more in ensuring that the political spaces are not always only dominated by a set of people.

2.      The various forms of vote buying especially those that are occurring before the election should be carefully analyzed and addressed by INEC in collaboration with other Actors as well as adequate engagement of the Citizens on this using the traditional media.

3.      The need to support and engage the Media effectively to enable them to carry out duty of reporting objectively without bias. All Actors should be involved in sensitizing the citizens on how to verify, fact check information before they share them.        

4.      There is the need for INEC and other actors to carefully screen and properly orientate them before being engaged.

5.      There is the need for all encompassing voter education in a manner that it would get to the grass root especially the rural dweller who do not have access to some information. The need not to wait for elections before the Citizens are engaged and adequately sensitized on issues that concerns political parties as well as participations in election.

6.      INEC should adequately collaborate with the CSOs and other Non-State Actors to take the issues to rural dweller using the effective traditional media that would reach the grass root.

7.      The need for security agents and Government to address the issue of kidnapping in manner that would remove the fear and threats it portends to peace in the 2023 general elections and beyond.

 

 

Conclusion

The need for all the Actors to be involved and effectively collaborate in the activity of disseminating the right information, sensitization and awareness of promoting peace in words and actions. 

 

Participants were drawn from the Six States in the South-South, Politicians, CSO Actors, Security Officers, Election Observers etc

 

For Details:

08052735427 08037184035 08137841633 08026233860

08144596471 08183845003 0703393133

Email: iyoedo@gmail.com

 

THE ONLY WAY TO PEACE IS PEACE