1. REVISITING ELECTION VIOLENCE IN THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS: THE
BOMBING OF THE APC RALLY IN OKRIKA, RIVERS STATE:
Most of the deadliest crises inrecordedhistoryoccurredbecause those charged
with the responsibilityto maintain law and order were complacent in handling
such crises before it degenerated to full-blown insurgencies, rebellions,
insurrections, terrorist acts and outright wars. The human and material cost of
such crises are better imagined than experienced. It is for this reason nation-
states and international organizations now adopt THE EARLY WARNING
SYSTEMS to pick signals of brewing crisis.
I Nigeriahowever, no effort has beenmade to detect festering crisis withaview
to nipping such in the bud before it spirals out of control.
Nigeriahas witnessedcrisis during everytransitionperiodexcept those inwhich
the leader succeeds himself withalmost no visible challenge. The 2nd Republic
was aborted partly due to the crisis that greeted the conduct of the 1983
General elections. Expectedly, the military struck and took over power. This
happened because Nigerian leaders did not learn from history. In 1964, there
were election crisis especially in the Western Region owing basically to the
irreconcilable differences between Chief Awolowo and S.L Akintola and the
boycott of the elections by UPGA. The Western regional crisis coupled with
general political instabilityledthe militaryboys to roll out the drums to sing the
marshal music in 1966. Of course, this was followed by the counter coup and
eventually the 30 months civil war which beganin 1967. We all know the crisis
of self-succession by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Sani Abacha. Thank
God Gen. Abdusallam Abubakar brought some sigh of relief when he
successfully saw through the transition to civil rule in 1999.
As we approach yet another transition period, all the ominous signs are clear,
but as characteristic of ourreactionaryapproach to national security, no serious
effort has been made to identify the flash-points and create the necessary
buffers to avert the impending danger.
In Rivers state for instance, while the United States has already identified the
Oil Rich state as a possible trigger of widespread pre-election, election and
post-election violence, the federal government has not shown any
demonstrable effort to avert the impending calamitous outcome. I am yet to
see any of the vuvuzelas condemn the barbaric bombing and sporadic

2. shootings at the venue of the APC rally in Okrika, Rivers state for the second
time running. Imagine this happening in a PDP rally, all the gongs would have
been rolled out to call the APC a violent party. I see complacency, double
standards and cluelessness in this saga.
Okrika was a theatre of war during the armed struggle inthe NigerDelta. Some
people are now bent on returning Okrika and indeed, River state to those
inglorious days.
Recent history shows that the Boko Haram crisis which is now a full-blown
terrorism started like this and no serious attention was paid to stop it until it
grew to the monster it is now. Boko Haram started as Sectarian violence and
grew to an insurgency, before acquiring the incredulous status of a terrorist
organization with ties to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Al Shabaab in
Somalia and the fringes of Kenya, Ansarul, and possible ties with ISIS.
Politics should not be played at the expense of the lives of people we seek to
govern. Evil anywhere is evil everywhere. It should be stopped now. If we truly
believe that no one’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian, we need to
dispassionately work to secure the lives and property of all Nigerians
irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliation.
While we are saying we should go forward and not backwards, we should not
promote such barbaric behavioural patterns that were only fashionable in the
years before Christ.
Like I always admonishmy supporters, arm yourselves with your PVCs and not
guns and bombs.
Nigeria is greater than any one of us.
A WORD THEY SAY IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE.