Two weeks ago, Local Government election was held in Rivers State which was largely peaceful except in one or two places which witnessed violence. One remarkable aspect of the election was the absence of the police who stayed away citing an order of a Federal High Court Abuja. In previous general elections, the police were known to collude with corrupt INEC officials to falsify the results of the election while in some cases, the policemen brazenly carted ballot boxes.
It is now a common saying in Nigeria that for politicians to be declared winners of elections all they need to do is to compromise the police and INEC officials. Following the success of the council polls in Rivers (hoodlums attacked local government offices after they were sworn in, not during the election) without the presence of the police, there were arguments that it was time to do away with the police in subsequent elections in the country and possibly replace them with civil defence men. While some stakeholders argued that further participation of police during elections needed to be reviewed, others however believed that Nigeria was not yet ripe for such a risk considering the usual desperation of our politicians.
Conduct of Rivers LG polls without police ‘a remarkable experience’ —Chief Edwin Clark
Chief Edwin Clark, the convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), in his reaction said, “October 5, Saturday’s Local Government elections in Rivers state have shown that polls can be conducted successfully in Nigeria without police security. This achievement, despite the deliberate boycott of the police from participating in the elections, demonstrates that the people of Rivers state, and indeed, Nigerians as a whole, are mature and patriotic enough to conduct elections and manage their affairs without interference from the police. This is a significant and commendable development because there has never been any election, be it presidential, state, or local government, where the security agencies, particularly the police, were not involved, with significant amounts of public funds expended. The fact that a statewide local government election can be conducted in a free, fair, and credible manner without the loss of lives and destruction of property is a remarkable experience. How do we reconcile this with the recent governorship election in a neighboring Edo state, where over 40,000 officers and men of the Nigerian police force were deployed, at a huge cost to the government, followed by complaints at different levels? I suggest that the federal government, and indeed, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should thoroughly examine this development with a view to finding ways to reduce the high electoral expenditures in the country.”
We need to review further participation of police during elections —Rev Joseph Hayab
According to Rev Joseph John Hayab, former Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State,”The Rivers State experience has demonstrated that Nigeria has what it takes to be orderly, responsible and patriotic. Rivers State people last week displayed commitment and dedication to democracy by coming out to vote as they voted peacefully. Now that the police withdrew from providing security during Rivers State Local Government elections, we saw that there was no violence as we used to have. We therefore need to review the huge resources that our country has always voted for security during previous elections which still witnessed ballot box snatching and violence at the polling stations. I believe Nigerians have the right to ask questions about who were actually responsible for violence in previous elections.”
We can’t compare federal election with local government election —Obla
Barrister Obono Obla, a senior lawyer and former Special Assistant to President Mohammadu Buhari on anti corruption Commission said: “The involvement of the Police is to provide security for the electorate and officials of INEC and maintenance of law and order. You can imagine what would happen in a competitive election where the stakes are high, involving all the political parties in the country and the police are not there to maintain law and order. Such a scenario is better imagined taking into consideration the usual desperation of politicians. It will only invite anarchy in a situation where the police are not around to work with other security agencies on election day. Therefore, comparing the scenario in a typical federal election with high stakes to that of a local government election in Rivers State is illogical.”
We can’t afford such risks —Nwoko
A former Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko (SAN) said: “Why I won’t advocate or support that opinion is that security or insecurity can be dynamic. A situation in a particular time, date and a particular circumstance may not be the same as the next one. Within a state, the situation you have in one local government may be radically different from a situation in another local government. Even within a local government, what you have in one ward may be different from a situation in another ward. Besides, it is the statutory and constitutional responsibility of the Police to provide security, protect lives and property of individuals and corporate organisations during such major civic events as elections. So, the mere fact that a peaceful election held in Rivers State without the participation of the Police doesn’t mean that this country can continue to take such risks at other times. That won’t be advisable,”
We should not discard the police during elections —Ambakederimoa
Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, Coordinator South South Reawakening Group, SSRG, spoke in the same vein. He said: “I don’t think the Rivers State local government election like others across the country can be described as elections. It has always been writing of names and announcing them as winners. We need the police to work with the electoral body to conduct elections. There may have been some untoward conduct from some police officers during elections but that doesn’t mean we should discard the use of policemen during elections. The Rivers State elections should not be used as a case study to measure peaceful elections.”
Involvement of police in our elections a necessary evil —Clarkson
For Amaebi Clarkson, a lawyer he said: “The elections were seemingly conducted peacefully but it was teleguided and there was no massive participation as the PDP and a faction of the APC boycotted it. So the relatively peaceful conduct cannot be a yardstick to conclude that we can dispense with the police in future elections in the country. More so, the stakes in council polls are not high unlike the gubernatorial and presidential elections that have massive mobilisation, participation and multiple interests. Election is a process not just the casting of votes. Even if the casting of votes is peaceful, the aftermath of violence in elections is beyond the Civil Defence. For instance, the Rivers Local Government election was acclaimed peaceful but the resultant burning of government infrastructure and shooting could not be handled by the Civil Defence. I think the involvement of the police in our elections is a necessary evil. The continued involvement of the police in our election is a necessity till we change our value system and make elective positions a part time job with sitting allowances to make it less attractive.
Police should do the job they are paid for —Edora
According to Edora Ogi, an activist, “It will be an error to use local council elections to determine how other elections will fare in the country. We have heard a former Chief of Staff to a governor in the country say that council election results of his state were written in his office and handed over to the state’s electoral body to announce. It’s a common phenomenon in the country. Police have been involved in the conduct of the same elections in several states and opposition parties cried out against the outcome. That they were not involved in this last council election in Rivers State doesn’t mean it could be credible. In any case, for me the police earn salaries so they should be made to do their job. No institution should be encouraged to neglect her responsibilities in the country. There are existing laws to apply to bad and corrupt police officers.”
We need the police for elections because of our kind of politics —West
Also, the Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, Bayelsa State branch, Comrade David West spoke in support of involving the police saying, “the peaceful conduct of the last Rivers State Local Government Elections was not because of the absence of the Nigeria Police but rather the boycott of the election by a faction of the All Progressives Congress, and the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike. If PDP or the FCT Minister’s faction had been part of that election it would have been bloody as it would have been expected in an election where the ruling party and the opposition are participating. So, I think the police must still be part of our elections process to provide security.
Nigeria not yet ripe to hold elections without deploying police —Emah
Similarly, Engineer Anietie Emah explained that Nigeria was not yet ripe to hold elections without deploying the Police, which has constitutional responsibility to provide security at elections, stressing that it could only be possible where electronic voting is in practice. According to him, “this is because in a typical Nigeria setting it is practically impossible to hold elections without police presence and there will be no form of violence. We are not advanced like the United States that adopted electronic voting where the citizens vote from the comfort of their homes”.
Police have the constitutional responsibility to provide security during elections —Ekanem
Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Ebong Ekanem Head of Operations at Policy Alert, a Non-governmental Organization, asserted that, “Nigeria has not yet got to that point where we can no longer need the Police to provide security in elections. It is going to be a gradual thing. And the Police have the constitutional responsibility to do that, so for now agitating or advocating for that will not work”
A legal practitioner, Barrister Taiwo Adediran, said, “To what extent can NSCDC cope with and reduce internal aggression in the country and this depends on functions the law establishing them gave to them. The fact that the election went peacefully doesn’t mean that all is well. What followed the election is a reflection of the fact that all is not well with the election. Then, it was the police that finally quenched the aftermath of the crisis. NSCDC played a lesser role in quenching the trouble. Another problem is that if the NSCDC establishment law does not give them power to prosecute election offenders then will they be able to do that without the police?
Civil defence personnel less partisan, may operate with greater degree of neutrality —Prof Ojo
A political scientist and former Chief of Staff to the Oyo State Government, Prof. Gbade Ojo said “Historically, the police have been implicated in electoral malpractice, often acting as enablers for corrupt practices among electoral officials. Instances of police collusion with INEC personnel to manipulate election outcomes have eroded public trust in the electoral process. This pattern suggests that the police, rather than safeguarding democracy, may be inadvertently undermining it. Given this context, it may be prudent to explore the use of civil defence personnel for electoral oversight. Civil defence units are generally perceived as less partisan and may operate with a greater degree of neutrality. Their involvement could help restore public confidence in the integrity of elections, as they may be less susceptible to corruption than traditional law enforcement.
Moreover, the absence of violence in the recent elections, despite the absence of police presence, indicates that it is possible to conduct elections peacefully without the traditional security apparatus. This could signal a shift towards a more civil-centered approach to election security, focusing on community engagement rather than militarization. While the idea of replacing police with civil defence personnel in elections may seem appealing, there are significant concerns that must be addressed. Civil defence units, while potentially less corruptible, may lack the training and authority necessary to manage electoral security effectively.
Elections can be contentious and may require a level of enforcement that civil defence personnel are not equipped to provide. This could lead to a vacuum in security that could be exploited by political thugs and other violent elements. Also, the effectiveness of civil defence forces in a politically charged environment is unproven. Relying solely on these personnel may create new challenges, as they might not have the same level of operational support and resources that police forces are equipped with. This could undermine the overall security of the electoral process. Lastly, the presence of police, despite its flaws, serves as a deterrent to electoral violence. A balanced approach that combines the strengths of both entities may ultimately be the key to achieving free, fair, and peaceful elections in Nigeria”.
Otunba Tayo Onayemi, Convener, Yoruba Commitment Forum
“The country should not do away with officers of the Nigeria Police Force during elections, it is their constitutional duty and responsibility to provide security during elections. I support the continued involvement of the police in our elections, because they still command some respect and sympathy to be able to discharge the duty of elections policing, creditably”.
The Publicity Secretary of People’s Democratic Party in Ondo state, Kennedy Peretei said, “The Rivers LG was a particularly special one. The people took their destiny into their hands and it is now clear that once INEC takes the backstage, a peaceful election is possible with the people’s resolve.
Former Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation and public analyst, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi said, “The police withdrew from the Rivers local government election yet it was peaceful and hitch free. We should therefore continue to look for ways to conduct credible elections in Nigeria without the presence of the police. The people can own the process and the Election Management Bodies should be focused on policing future elections without the police”.
Peoplesmind
