Politicians Are The Creators Of Insecurity During Elections —Ezoem

By Francis Okwumabua

The Provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba and Chairman, Committee of Provosts, Colleges of Education in Nigeria, Dr. Ignatius Nwanze Ezoem, has expressed worries at the rise in youth restiveness in the nation, which he said has taken various forms in pre and post-election periods, adding that politicians who are the drivers of democracy, are usually the creators of insecurity during elections.

Dr. Ezoem made this remark during the inaugural lecture and award ceremony organized by Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), Delta State Council, recently in Asaba.

Delivering a lecture titled: “2019 General Elections, Security Challenges in Delta State and Nigeria,” the Provost said: “While the electorates are planning for a free and fair process of electing their leaders, politicians are busy trying to win at all cost, irrespective of the regards for sanctity of life, peace and human soul.”

He added: “Election as a process gives the opportunity to citizens or individuals to freely choose their leaders at periodic intervals. Election is the right of the citizens/individuals to choose whoever they want to be in a position of authority and the principal mechanism for obtaining and translating consent into governmental authority is the holding of genuinely democratic elections.

“Thus, for any democratically approved elected position, there must be an election. So there cannot be democracy without election. Since 1999, elections in Nigerian have been facing security challenges. Part of the violence and insecurity in the conduct of the election was as a result of the deployment of militants and cult groups.”

According to him, “electoral violence in Nigeria has been a central factor in evaluating the prospect and challenges of democracy consolidation in Nigeria.”

He continued: “It should be noted that Delta State is a mini-Nigeria and whatever happens in Nigeria is usually manifest in the state, if not at a more dangerous proportion.

“The major question is if politicians are to truly and selflessly serve the people that elected them to office, can they struggle to get to power at all cost? The answer is ‘no’.”

“Students and youths should not be used as canon-folders by politicians during elections for thuggery. At the end of every election, some lose their lives, while others become abandoned like dust bin until the next election.”

He therefore advised youths and students to wise-up and avoid being used, but concentrate on their education because knowledge, which is power, will forever govern ignorance.