VIOLENCE is a major offering preceding the July 14 governorship election in the Edo State. It should not be allowed to persist. The flood of allegations between the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, fuels the violence.
Each party accuses the other of responsibility for the murders, assassinations and road accidents that have claimed lives. These incidents that should have made the people sober have become matters for pointing fingers and claims that one party wants to eliminate the other.
These days, weighty allegations of crimes have become accepted as matters for campaigns. The security agencies appear disinterested in the killings and the violence that have marked the campaigns.
The only thing new in the latest handling of an impeding crisis in the State is that the principal characters are different. The people are aware too that their concerns are different from government's.
Promises to find the killers or worse clichés like "it is one murder too many", are ever available to console the mourning. Otherwise, the assurances are the same empty words that ring with familiar indifference. Governments' business is to save things from declining to these points. Once the people lose confidence in their leaders, it is more difficult to reclaim the trust.
Edo State is of interest because its politics grandly captures the struggles between opposition and the party in power. Free and fair elections are considered a challenge in Nigeria, especially in situations where the incumbent governor is running for office.
When Edo voters troop out, it would not be only about retaining the governor or voting a new one into office, they would want to make their statement about what they think of governments.
Comparisons are often made between Adams Oshiomhole's government and the recent administrations that preceded it. Do the people like these changes, would they want their continuation? Are they ready to try another candidate?
The votes on July 14 would determine these. It is not enough to say that the power belongs to the people, when violence is being used to scare people away. How would people exercise their rights?
We are calling on the security agencies to be decisive in dealing with the crises that are being perpetrated with impunity. The criminals behind them are emboldened when they are not punished. Governments are more concerned with political incorrectness ahead of the election.
Political exegesis keeps prevailing over the security of our people, proving again that politics is more important than the people. Government is yet to make the point that violence will not be tolerated before, during or after the election. The time to make that point is now.
Vanguard Nigeria