Politics

Baruten Attack: What happened to the peace pact?

 

The peace accord signed by leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress, (APC) and 23 other registered political parties in Kwara State, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently, was no doubt, meant to douse the palpable tension that had engulfed the polity in recent time.
The peace agreement came on the heels of spate of violence that erupted in the state in the wake of the electioneering process. The state was almost turned to a theatre of war with violent clashes by supporters of political parties. It would be recalled that shortly before the parties entered into the peace pact, there was a record of mayhem in Agbaji, the family quarters of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, which led to loss of lives and wanton destruction of property. Members of the APC also alleged attacks on their supporters at various times by supporters of rival political party. So many well meaning Kwarans heaved sigh of relief when the INEC muted the idea of the peace accord and made it a reality. But this relief was short lived because last Saturday, the campaign train of Dr. Bukola Saraki reportedly  suffered unprovoked attack  in Okuta, Baruten from Government Area of the state, from  alleged supporters of the APC. The attackers allegedly  laid ambush for the campaign team and vehicles belonging to the party were  said to have been damaged during the attack. This unfortunate development has incontrovertibly cast a doubt on the efficacy of the peace accord, since the initiative by INEC is about commitment of political parties to  violence-free elections. All parties by the pact are committed to ensure peace before, during and after the elections. Going by the agreement, it also behooves leadership and candidates of parties to educate their supporters and followers to be peaceful and orderly in their conduct during electioneering.  The pact also requires cooperation of the parties with the electoral body. It is saddening that this ugly development occured after the leadership of the parties have expressed their readiness to embrace peace and preach same to their followers and supporters. The incident has undoubtedly dealt a big blow to the peace accord. The attack has again sent jitters down the spine of peace-loving Kwarans.
Nonetheless, one would have expected that the INEC in collaboration with security agencies in the state ,  to have fished out the perpetrators of the  dastardly act. The video of the attack has gone viral on social media and as such, should make it easy for security agents to identify the culprits. If this is allowed to go unchecked, it is capable of subverting the democratic process.
Recalling the incident during a press conference by the Congress of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), the Chairman of the state PDP, Engr. Kola Shittu said: “Last Saturday the PDP campaign went to Baruten to campaign. Despite the fact that we had police permission some APC sponsored miscreants still came out to waylay us in Okuta. You would have expected the police to prevent such a thing but it was not done. They expected that we would react and then arrest our members. ”
The statement by the party chairman is an indictment on the police. It is, thus, expedient for the security agency to prove to the aggrieved politicians that it has no allegiance to any party.
Further alleging that the police are partisan, Shittu added:  “We also recall that in Offa the police also arrested some of our members, claiming that they tampered with posters of APC. It took efforts to get them released. The same thing happened in Isin when we went to campaign too. They are just looking for excuses to postpone the election here in Kwara so that they would repeat what they did in Osun. We must not allow that to happen.”
It is, therefore, pertinent for  security agencies in the state to treat all political parties with equality towards ensuring a credible election. There should be no sacred cow; any politician found to be going against the rules must be  made to face the wrath of the law. The security agents must fish out the sponsors of the Baruten attack with a view to stemming the tide of political violence in the state.  The enemies of peace in the state must be made to face the music. Any politician causing trouble before, during and after election, must be dealt with decisively.
A free, fair and credible polls in the state is not  a tall dream, it can be made possible if  political parties adhere strictly to the peace agreement. The parties that signed the agreement must show  commitment  to the interest of state.
INEC must ensure that the peace accord yield ultimate goal  of ensuring peace before, during and after the elections. This is because governance after elections will be impossible in an environment is devoid of peace. Leaders of political parties and candidates must lead by example in their conduct and speech. They must shun all actions that may lead to crisis before, during and after the polls. It is important for  supporters of political parties to know that the political ambition of anyone is  not worth their lives. Elections should not be synonymous with violence.

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