Seeks new rules for political conduct
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned against the increasing presence of serving governors, senior political officeholders, and other influential government functionaries in states conducting off-cycle elections, saying the trend could threaten Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
Jonathan, in a statement he signed and posted on his verified Facebook account, noted that the recent governorship election in Osun State demonstrated that Nigeria had the capacity to conduct elections peacefully and in a manner capable of strengthening public confidence in democratic institutions.
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and, particularly, the people of Osun State for the peaceful conduct of the election.
However, the former president expressed concern over what he described as an emerging trend in political conduct during off-cycle elections, involving the convergence of serving governors, senior political leaders, government officials and large numbers of aides and security personnel from outside the states where elections are being conducted.
He said the conduct witnessed around the recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states was unusual and should not become normal practice in a democratic society.
Jonathan recalled that similar situations occurred during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections when he was president, saying he ordered party leaders and senior government officials to immediately leave the affected states after he was briefed about their presence.
He said political parties were entitled to campaign, mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate party structures, stressing that such activities were an essential part of democracy.
He, however, warned that there was a point at which political mobilisation could become excessive, particularly when it involved the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day.
Jonathan said such a situation could create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure. “We must ask ourselves whether the increasing deployment of political power and large-scale mobilisation by senior office holders on election day in states holding elections is consistent with the spirit of free, fair and peaceful democratic competition,” he said.
The former president noted that such practices were hardly witnessed in other democratic countries, warning that Nigeria must not allow political competition to become a contest in which victory was perceived as something that must be achieved at all costs.
He also raised concerns about the precedent the trend could establish, asking what would happen if governors from opposing political parties began to descend on every state holding a competitive election.
“Such a development could lead to a situation where political power was matched with political power, governmental influence with governmental influence and mobilisation with counter-mobilisation,” he said.
He said this would not strengthen democracy but could deepen political tensions and make elections increasingly resemble battles for political survival rather than peaceful contests for the mandate of the people.
The former president therefore urged stakeholders to treat the matter as a broader national issue rather than a partisan dispute over the Osun election.
He said those who had occupied public office must recognise that their conduct carried greater responsibility, adding that the power and influence attached to public office should be used to strengthen democratic institutions rather than create apprehension among political opponents or citizens.
Jonathan consequently called on the National Peace Committee to convene a stakeholders’ engagement as soon as practicable to examine emerging practices around elections and agree on standards that would protect democracy and preserve peace.
He said the proposed engagement should bring together the leadership of registered political parties, INEC, relevant security agencies, the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media.
Jonathan said the National Peace Committee was particularly well positioned to lead the conversation because of the confidence and moral authority it had built over the years in bringing political leaders together during moments of national tension.
He said an early national conversation would help establish appropriate boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices considered unusual today became accepted as normal in future elections.
(The Sun)