Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for an urgent national stakeholders’ engagement to establish clear boundaries for political conduct during off cycle elections in Nigeria.
Jonathan made the call in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday in Abuja, titled, “Osun and the Need to Set New Boundaries for Political Conduct in Off Cycle Elections.”
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Jonathan expressed concern over the growing practice of serving governors, senior political office holders, party leaders and other influential political actors converging on states during governorship elections with large numbers of aides and security personnel.
He said the trend witnessed during recent governorship elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states could create an atmosphere of intimidation, apprehension and undue pressure if allowed to become normal practice.
Jonathan, however, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun State for the peaceful conduct of the recent governorship election.
He recalled that similar situations occurred during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections while he was president, noting that he had directed party leaders and senior government officials to leave the affected states.
“Political parties are entitled to campaigning, mobilising their supporters and deploying their legitimate party structures. That is an essential part of democracy,” Jonathan said.
He warned that excessive deployment of political power and government influence on election day could create apprehension among political opponents and citizens and undermine free, fair and peaceful democratic competition.
Jonathan also questioned what could happen if governors from opposing political parties began descending on every state holding competitive elections, saying such a development could deepen political tensions and make elections resemble battles for political survival.
The former president stressed that the matter should not be treated as a partisan dispute concerning the Osun election, but as a broader national issue concerning the future of Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
He therefore urged the National Peace Committee to convene a stakeholders’ meeting involving INEC, registered political parties, relevant security agencies, the National Assembly, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media.
Jonathan said the proposed engagement would help establish acceptable standards for political conduct during elections and prevent practices that are currently unusual from becoming normalised.
“An early national conversation can help us establish appropriate boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices that are unusual today become accepted as normal tomorrow,” he said.
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