By: Bisi Olominu
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Election violence predates politics in Nigeria. Both are seismic twins and the political parties in order to outdo one another unleashed mayhem on their opponent.

Within a political party, there are skirmishes as members engaged in bloody supremacy power just to please their masters. Members of a political party also fight within themselves to show that they are on ground and their masters should give them that recognition when in power.
Nigeria’s elections have historically been tense, and as the campaign gets underway,there are concerns the upcoming process will see new violence. According to news report, violence from political conflicts has killed thousands in the country.
The latest in the series of violence in politics happened last Tuesday as the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State kicked start its governorship campaign in the state.
According to reports, three people were feared dead and scores injured including journalists, as hoodlums suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, invaded the campaign of APC held at Skypower Ground, Ikeja, Lagos.
The hoodlums invaded the venue with guns,daggers and other dangerous weapons, engaging one another in a bloody fight. The situation sent panic across the campaign ground as party members ran in different directions to save their lives from stray bullets flying around.
Security agents had a hectic time controlling the situation. In the melee, many people were disposed of their phones,money and other valuables by opportunistic pickpockets and other criminal.
In the chaos,journalists were not spared as stray bullets shot by the rampaging thugs hit the Group Political Editor of the Nation newspapers, Emmanuel Oladesu; the camera man of Ijoba Ibile TV, Mr Abiodun Yusuf, and New Telegraph reporter, Tope Ogunbanke.
Speaking on how to prevent violence during campaign in Nigeria, United States Assistant Secretary Bureau of African Affairs, Tibor Nagy urged political parties to commit their members to policy of nonviolence.
He warned against violence during the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, saying it will “remain intensely focused” on the elections in the coming months.
“On November 18,2018, the start of the official campaigning, our Mission in Abuja released a statement with 25 like minded missions to express our desire to see free,fair,transparent and peaceful elections, specifically naming many of the concerns.
” I can assure you a we will be watching closely for instigators of violence or those attempting to undermine the democratic process. Many of you expressed particular concern about violence around these elections”.
While contributing, a nongovernmental organization, Fund for Peace urged Nigerian political leaders at every level to commit publicly to a non-violent process to existing legal means to resolve disputes, and to accountability for those doing violence.
“Leaders should encourage additional statements through diplomatic channels, and reinforce these messages through their own statements”
The organisation said that political parties should establish clear, agree upon, and accessible post election grievances mediation structures before the elections to deter violence during the elections.
While contributing to the issue, the State Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress APC, Ondo State, Mr. Steve Otaloro said that members of the party would not engage in a violence during the forthcoming elections.
According to him,” All the political parties in the state have signed an agreement with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the allegiance to work according to the dictate of the electoral law is binding on all. The meeting we had with INEC is yielding results and there is no political violence in the state”.
“APC as a party, we have told our members to go from ward to local government and meet with people, tell them the achievements of the present president and the governor of the state. Arakunrin has done so much for the people of the state in terms of infrastructural development, agricultural renewal, salary payment. He has not failed for once in making the people of the state happy. Once workers are happy, many people will be happy.
” APC has much to sell to the electorate and that exactly we are doing in our campaign. We have appealed to our members not to engage in violence and that we are leaching everyday.
“But where you have a political party having nothing to show the people as achievements, such result to violence to put the nation on tense situation. Again, where you have two political parties campaigning in the same area at the same time, it always result to violence.
” So INEC should put its feet on ground and never allow two political parties to be at the same place at the same time”.
Otaloro said that APC will continue to condemn violence before, during and after an election, saying such would continue to portend grave danger for the present democracy “.
He also said that members of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers,NURTW, should be insulate from politics, stressing that their antecedents as a whole does not suit politics.
” If individuals want to join politics, it is good but not as a body. They should be limited to their profession. They don’t have business in politics and they should not be encouraged “.