TheCable

The Abuja School of Political Thoughts and Centre for Public Policy and Research, a civil society organisation (CSO), says insecurity has worsened in the country because of failed elections.

Speaking on Friday in Abuja at a policy roundtable on the forthcoming off-cycle elections, Sam Amadi, the school’s director, said the country’s leaders have not figured out the nexus between failed elections and insecurity.

Governorship elections will hold on November 11 in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states.

Amadi said if the majority of contestants do not have confidence in the leadership of security agencies, they should be changed before these elections take place.

“We are worried about these coming elections. Our leaders have not factored the link between democracy and or lack of democratic elections and development failures — and the link between failed elections and insecurity,” he said.

“We are seeing insecurity growing more because elections themselves have failed and it has unleashed self-help.

“Whether you vote or not, he who controls the security, the governors of some of these states, have boasted that as long as they control INEC and security, if you like vote or don’t vote.

“It is the responsibility of the national security adviser (NSA) to remove police commissioners or change them.

“Elections are a game of trust. If there are five candidates and four say they don’t trust the leadership of the security system, why should the person continue?”

Also speaking, Abiodun Adeniji, a professor, said there has to be measures in place to ensure that the country experiences free and fair elections in November.

“Going forward into the next elections, we have to be concerned about our value system and how not to make it affect the institutions and up the ante in terms of delivering the expected goods,” he said.

“The goods are simple; free, fair, and credible elections.”