THE Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged politicians to de-escalate the rising tension and election-related violence across the country by calling their supporters to order ahead of the March 18 gubernatorial and state assembly elections.
CAPPA in a statement issued on Monday, March 13, by the Director of Programmes Philip Jakpor, expressed worry over the rising use of hate speech, tribal and ethnic profiling as well as the widespread circulation of fake news laced with inciteful comments.
“We are particularly worried about reports of rising tension in Sokoto, Lagos, Rivers and Kaduna among several others.
“All stakeholders, political leaders, security agencies and the government must take immediate action to de-escalate the surging tension and violence and safeguard the rights and dignity of every Nigerian as guaranteed in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” CAPPA said in the statement signed by Research and Policy Officer, Zikora Ibeh.
The organisation noted that electoral violence does not only undermine democracy but also perpetuates a culture of societal unrest and the exclusion of citizens from participating in governance processes.
Nigeria has witnessed a disturbing level of political thuggery and inciteful commentaries in the past few weeks, according to CAPPA.
The statement added that there have been reports of physical attacks on targeted victims based on their political choices, ethnic or religious affiliations as well as instances of intimidation and coercion, verbal abuse, harassment, hate speech and incitement.
“We are particularly dismayed by the growing levels of tribal hostilities that are polarizing the beautiful diversity of the Nigerian people. These hateful ethnic diatribes, championed by divisive political elements bent on fanning the base sentiments of citizens have continued to fuel political disquietude and animosity among different ethnic groups.
“We are urging politicians and most importantly the candidates to act in manners that promote amity, engage their supporters in peaceful electoral processes and end all hateful rhetoric. We challenge political actors to take concrete steps to promote peace during elections by refining their campaigns to address pertinent questions of moving the country forward,” the statement added.
The organisation further urged all relevant security agencies such as the Police, and the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), among others, to closely monitor the ongoing electoral process and hold all purveyors of violence and political actors accountable for their actions to deter others.
“Finally, we call on the good people of Nigeria to rise above ethnic, religious, and other secondary emotions to participate in the democratic process and hold politicians accountable for their actions and promises,” the statement added.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M