Nigerians travel ahead of elections over security concerns

Barely eleven days to February 14 presidential election, many people, apparently spurred by fear of possible post-election violence and reprisal, are noticed moving from the areas of their current abode to areas they consider safe for their families, mostly home states and regions.

BusinessDay findings show that some Nigerians living in areas considered politically volatile are not only jittery, but leaving for their home towns or other areas they consider safer. Apart from the North East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, which have been under siege as a result of the terrorist activities of Boko Haram, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and to a lesser degree, Lagos are other cities of the country considered to be ‘hot’ during the elections.

Their fears are palpably based on antecedence. In 2011, post presidential-election violence erupted that saw scores of innocent Nigerians, including members of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC)) on national duties killed and properties worth millions of naira lost by the victims in some parts of the country. The incumbent President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, won the election, sparking off violent protests in areas considered the strongholds of Mohammed Buhari, who ran then on the platform of Congress for Progress Change (CPC).

Four years after, the 2015 presidential election is again going to be a straight contest between the two major figures in the 2011 election. Although eleven other political parties are fielding candidates for the presidential elections, they are however less visible. While President Jonathan remains the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buhari is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a fusion of his defunct CPC, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and All Nigeria People Party (ANPP).

Analysts are of the view that never before had presidential electioneering campaigns been so heated, and characterize by religious and tribal sentiments, and punctuated by hate messages like the 2015 election. According to some of them, comments and actions by the political actors, their parties and supporters tend to portend a gloomy days ahead.

President Jonathan’s campaign convoy had been attacked and stoned at in Bauchi State and other parts of the north by persons yet to be identified and arrested while comments by ex-militant leaders in Niger Delta region, where Jonathan hails from, are suggestive of ‘trouble’ in the event that the incumbent is not re-elected in the February 14 poll.

Ikechukwu Asogwa, a teacher in Mararaba area of Abuja, told BusinessDay that he had already decided to take his family home by this weekend, adding that they deliberately did not travel home during the Christmas celebrations because they had made up their mind to go home during the election.

“There is general apprehension here; many families are yet to come back from Christmas holiday for fear of the unknown,” Asogwa said, adding, “we have not forgotten the 1993 ‘Abiola Run’ experience.”

In Port Harcourt, not many people are travelling, “but it is still too early in the day to conclude,” Charles Onoima, a worker with an oil servicing firm, told BusinessDay, adding however, that depending on what happens after this week, his family might be travelling to Enugu which is more peaceful and much nearer home.

“Depending on what happens from next week, I tell you, I am not going to take chances”, he emphasized, recalling that during the June 12, 1993 election crisis, people were trapped and many are still licking their wounds from that experience.

“I work for an agency of government in Abuja. As it stands, violence might erupt if the results of the elections do not favour some politicians. As a precautionary measure, I am going on leave few days to the elections. I have decided to travel to Lagos to be with my family”, said Chukwuma Uzor, a public servant.

Okwuchukwu Ikeanyionwu, a businessman from the south-eastern part of the country lives in Karu, Nassarawa State. He said he did not go home for Christmas festivity, last December, because he had planned to return to the east first week of February. “From my experience in 2011, some places in the country are volatile. There have been speculations that there will be violence no matter who wins.” He said his permanent voter card (PVC) is in the south-east because he registered there and would also love to exercise his franchise there.

“I have since 2011 when I lost my goods to looting by election violence relocated to Abuja from Kano. I am still not comfortable with the security situation in Abuja, especially during and after the February elections. I have not bothered bringing my family back after Christmas. They have already registered my children in schools in Enugu”, Felix Madumere, a businessman said.

Despite the assurances of security and the peace deal by all political parties, Elisha Egunu, a pharmacist, said that a lot of people are taking precautions to avert the ugly experience of 2011 post- election violence because government at all levels care less about the security of the citizens.