Home Community Insights Electoral violence as a cause of political apathy in Nigeria

Electoral violence as a cause of political apathy in Nigeria

Electoral violence as a cause of political apathy in Nigeria

Research has shown that one of the major causes of political apathy in Nigeria is electoral violence. People would rather prefer to sit at home on Election Day than going out to die at polling stations. Nobody would want to go out to cast his or her vote on Election Day or go out to support his or her candidate during political campaigns when he is not sure that his safety will be guaranteed while at it. No matter how much I love my country or how patriotic I claim to be, I will not in every reasonable ground go to any polling unit to cast my vote when I know that thugs have been sponsored and positioned to disrupt the electoral process, harass and intimidate voters. 

This is the reason why some states will record a high number of registered voters but on the Election Day, those that voted will be a fragment number of the registered voters. It happens because people are scared to come out to vote due to the fear of the unknown and the fear of being attacked by thugs with opposing political views.

I am not a prophet of doom but by every indication, this is what that will likely be experienced in some states of the South Eastern Nigeria like Imo, Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi, especially in Imo because there have been series of coordinated attacks on INEC offices and their facilities in that state and this have induced great fear in the mind of registered voters in the state  and they can only expect the worst on Election Day, only few will risk it going out to cast their votes. 

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The fact that most of the time, most of those that are caught to be involved in electoral violence are not prosecuted to the full arms of the law is the catalyst that is still speeding up electoral violence in Nigeria.

Electoral violence is a serious crime in Nigeria; disruption of political campaigns is a form of electoral violence, attack on INEC offices and facilities is a form of electoral violence, harassment and intimidation of voters is a form of electoral violence etc and all these carry a serious punishment under the Nigerian laws and if peradventure someone get killed as a result of the electoral violence, those involved will not just be prosecuted for the crime of electoral violence, they will also be prosecuted for the crime of murder which according the Nigerian laws, the punishment for murder is death sentence. 

The crimes that those involved in electoral violence can be charged and prosecuted for include; disruption and disturbance of public peace, incitement, destruction of materials, causing hurt and mischief, etc, this will be added with the electoral violence crime and all those crimes carry jail terms.

It is election and not war, election is not a do or die affair or an affair thousands of innocent citizens will lose their lives over. Election is one of the approved ways people in civilized society choose those that will lead them especially in a system that practices democracy and those against election or that always look forward to disrupting elections are not just enemies of peace but also enemies of the state and should be treated as such.

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