20th February, 2019
WE BACK BUHARI ON BALLOT
SNATCHERS
A tornado of criticisms has trailed President Buhari’s tough stand
on ballot snatchers. The president was widely quoted on Monday 18th
February, 2019, that ballot snatchers risk losing their lives.
But the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has pitched camp
with President Muhammadu Buhari. In a statement released on Wednesday 20th
February, 2019, MURIC, an Islamic human rights society insisted that ballot box
snatchers themselves are killers who deserve no mercy. The group added that
security agencies should be given the power to shoot anybody who attempts to
snatch a ballot box. The statement was signed by the founder and director of
the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
“A lot of people still need civic education. How can educated
people defend ballot box snatchers? Do they know who they are defending? They
are defending killers, thugs and hooligans. Does any ballot box snatcher come
with snacks, loaves of bread and bottles of water for voters? No. They come
with guns, cutlasses, daggers, charms, etc. They come with death.
“Are we also not aware that many innocent voters have been killed
and wounded in the process of ballot snatching? Are our elites not ashamed of
defending such riff-raffs? Must we allow political differences to becloud our
sense of decency? Do we know the sponsors of those thugs? These are crooked
politicians who have nothing to deliver to the people except to steal public
funds. No clean politician will ask hoodlums to snatch ballot boxes for him.
“We all read the confession of some of the armed robbers who killed
several people in Offa recently. They said their godfather used to give them
assignments during elections. He would ask them to invade polling booths where
his opponents are most popular. What does that mean to the election process? It
reduces the votes of the opposition. The wrong candidate will be declared
winner. Consequently, he does what he likes because he never really felt any
sense of responsibility to the people. Can we say such an election is free and
fair?
“Nigerians have to make up their minds whether they want free and
fair election or they want chaos, cheating, thuggery and hooliganism. We are
shocked to our marrows that confusionists are allowed to sway the minds of
rational people. How can any rational mind support electoral violence,
particularly ballot snatching?
According to Akintola, ballot box snatchers are worse
than armed robbers. “Some critics hardly think before speaking. What is the
difference between ballot box snatchers and armed robbers? The latter rob people
of their hard-earned money. The former robs the people of good leadership. The
victim of an armed robbery may be just one person but millions or thousands of
Nigerians are the unwilling victims of a ballot box snatcher. Again, the victim
of an armed robber may recover the financial loss within a few days or weeks but
millions of Nigerians face untold suffering at least for the next four years when
ballot boxes are snatched and thieves are declared winners of elections.
The group argued that
President Buhari is not the first to call for action against hoodlums carrying
illegal arms. It cited the examples of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Nyesome
Wike, the governor of Rivers State.
"We are surprised that people forget so easily. On November 25th,
1999, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo said, ‘The police have instructions that
any criminal should be shot on sight. Anyone who calls himself OPC should be
arrested and if he doesn't agree he will be shot on sight. We cannot allow this
country to be overtaken by hoodlums and criminals. When people decide to behave
like animals then they must be treated like animals.’
“It is also on record that
Wike once said, ‘If you rig election or snatch ballot box in Rivers State you
will die’. Ayodele Fayose was also quoted as threatening, ‘Anyone who brings his rigging madness to Ekiti State will not go
home alive. He will die on the spot. In fact, Ado Ekiti will be on fire’. What
moral right do such people have to criticize Buhari today for asking security
agents to deal will ballot box snatchers? The truth is that Nigerians
politicise everything.
“What Mr. President said is totally legitimate, lawful and
constitutional. He has the full backing of Section 33(2)(a) of the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which says inter alia, ‘A person shall not be regarded as having been deprived
of his life in contravention of this section, if he dies as a result of the
use, to such extent and in such circumstances as are permitted by law, of such
force as is reasonably necessary - for the defence of any person from unlawful
violence or for the defence of property.
“We need to ponder on the exact words of President Buhari.
He said, ‘I want to warn anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his
locality to lead a body of thugs to snatch ballot boxes or disturb the voting
system, he will do it at the expense of his own life’. How can anybody have a
problem with that? Are you a ballot box snatcher? Are you thinking of becoming
one? Are you a sponsor of political thugs? Are you an advocate of electoral
violence? What, therefore, is your problem?
“From the above facts, we are constrained to conclude that those
who criticize President Buhari for giving orders to security agencies to shoot
ballot box snatchers acted either in error, out of ignorance or as educated
illiterates. A new Sheriff is in town. The old order changeth.
“To be or not to be, that is the question: whether to be known as a
nation of disorderly, unruly and unorganized people, in which case we will
remain the laughing stock of the world, or to be known as a well-organized, law-abiding
and decorum-compliant people, in which case we will become the model and pride
of Black Africa.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
