A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attairu Jega, on Thursday advised the federal government to tackle the issue of insecurity in the country before the 2023 general elections.
He said the insecurity in the country can hamper the 2023 general election if nothing is done about it.
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Jega, who spoke at the official commissioning of Senator Abiola Ajimobi Resource Centre donated by the family of the late former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to the Institute For Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan to mark 72nd posthumous birthday of the former governor, said Nigerians must see the safety of election as a matter of national security.
Jega said: “Free and fair elections is necessary to give rise to good governance. Our democracy is broadly participatory and as such, but be objective. It is necessary that it is fundamentally free and fair.
“Elections must be free of hooliganism, forgery and other malpractices. In saner climes, election security is given concern and it is adjusted over time. One major factor that still remains in contention is the mindset of the leaders of some security agencies. They must see the safety of election as a matter of national security.
“Our political leaders also have a mindset of militarianism – they want to dominate on the people. This cannot be overlooked. We must look at security from all its different angles. It is not just about matching guns around on election day. It is total in nature. Nigeria ranks lowly on the index of good governance.
“We rank lowly on the quality of our democracy and elections. We must turn that around. Election security is a requirement for the quality of governance. There must be adequate, professional, non-partisan security in our electoral process.”
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in his contribution, said democracy remains the best form of government in the contemporary world.
He said; “Man has not yet developed any better system than the government of the people for the people by the people – encapsulated in one word – democracy.
“Thus, protecting our election is to protect our democracy. If we must pray like Lincoln did at Gettysburg that this democracy does not perish off the face of the earth.”
