A PEACE PERSPECTIVE OF THE JUST CONCLUDED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

A PEACE PERSPECTIVE OF THE JUST CONCLUDED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Oshodi/Isolo Local government Area of Lagos state witnessed live rounds of gunshot in the air
as voters ran for their safety, away from the polling units. Election materials were on fire
preceding the dispersed center. The just concluded 2019 presidential election had met with a
plethora of violence in over ten (10) states of the federal republic of Nigeria. In addition to
Lagos, other states that experienced violence prior and during the election are; Rivers, Bayelsa,
Kogi, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Delta and Bornu states. It is no news
that security personnel were deployed to every polling unit on Election Day. Prior to the
election, authorities assured Nigerians that security measures were in place to clamp down any
violent infractions during the election. Months, weeks and days following the election saw
efforts made by civil society organizations to mobilize for peaceful and non-violent elections.
However, lives of Nigerians were lost to electoral violence spiked by the 2019 presidential
election held on Saturday February 23, 2019.
As an organization that prioritizes peace and sustainable development, Alliances for Africa (AfA)
strongly condemn the well-tolerated violent incidents across specific states of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria during the presidential election. We call to question, the effectiveness of the
interventions designed to prevent and mitigate electoral violence in Nigeria.
As we prepare for the Governorship and State Assemblies elections where we have more female
candidates running for office, our drive should be of protection for our female candidates and
the life of Nigerians. AfA clearly ask that the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), security personnel, political parties, accredited civil society organizations and all
authorities relevant to electoral procedures get proactive in ensuring that we experience a
peaceful and non-violent election come March 9, 2019. Nigerians deserve elections not
#warelections

Chinwendu Anozie
Communications Officer
Alliances for Africa