Nigeria’s Upcoming Election Threatened by Violence and Insecurity.
Insecurity poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s democracy as voters gear up to elect a new president and members of parliament on February 25th. Banditry, cattle rustling, and mass kidnappings for ransom are just a few of the challenges facing the country.
Saidu Ahmad, an electoral officer in northwestern Zamfara state, faces a difficult task as he organizes voting in areas identified as “not reachable.” The credibility of the vote is at risk due to the violence, casting doubt on whether it can take place in areas hit worst by insecurity.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in 2015 was based on a promise to improve security, but violence has continued to spread, leaving vast areas of Nigeria outside the control of its security forces, and forcing thousands of farmers to abandon their crops amid a food crisis.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported over 50 attacks on its staff and facilities since the last poll in 2019, mostly in the rebellious southeast.
The three presidential candidates – Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the smaller Labor Party – have promised to tackle insecurity with more personnel and better technology, but have been thin on details.
The situation is dire for people like Ahmadu Garkuwa, a farmer from Nasarawa Mai Fara village in Zamfara, who has been displaced due to banditry and is unable to vote in his hometown.
The electoral commission has promised that internally displaced people will be able to vote wherever they find themselves, but analysts warn that whoever replaces Buhari must quickly address the rampant violence to prevent Nigeria from becoming a failed state that could destabilize the wider West African region.