Bertrand Onuoha, the Commissioner of Police in Kogi State, expressed concerns on Tuesday regarding the off-season governorship elections held in Nigeria, particularly in his state, describing them as resembling a war zone rather than a typical electoral process.
His remarks were made during a public presentation in Abuja on Nigeria’s Election Violence and Education Report of the 2023 governorship polls in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states.
Onuoha lamented the unprecedented level of bitterness witnessed during the November 11 poll, which saw the victory of All Progressives Congress candidate Usman Ododo, who secured 446,237 votes.
His closest rivals, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party and Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party, trailed behind with 259,052 and 46,362 votes, respectively.
Despite Ajaka and Melaye rejecting the election results due to alleged irregularities, Onuoha expressed concern about the lack of internal democracy in Nigerian politics.
He emphasized that the situation could have deteriorated further if not for some decisive measures taken.
He said, “Conducting elections in Nigeria is war. Since the creation of Kogi State in 1991, elections in the state has always been like war. Since I was born, I have never seen the kind of bitterness that was brought into electioneering in the state towards the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
“A lot of things need to be done to co-opt people who are ready to serve their fatherland, not those who take politics as business or as a career.
“If not for the series of meetings we have held with stakeholders, believe you me, if not what we have done (such as) pre-election issues, meetings with stakeholders, I don’t think even election would have held in that state. When you look at the political parties in Nigeria, there is nothing like internal democracy. That is why most of the pre-election violence cropped up from lack of internal democracy, intra-party activities, where you will see bitterness amongst the same family of the same political party.”
“The type of election being held in Nigeria now is not sustainable. During off-cycle elections, you can deploy enough personnel that cuts across all the security agencies. Was it possible during the general elections? We have to go back to the grassroots and get it well. The worst scenario is lack of deterrence. Since 1999, how many people have been taken to court because of election violence or malpractice?” he asked.
