#TrackNigeria – The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) based in Kano has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s comment hinting at death for ballot box snatchers. Even more, Hamza Ibrahim, Coordinator,Curbing Hate and Dangerous Speech Project,Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in a statement described Buhari’s comment as ‘dangerous’.
The statement said, “Amidst waiting for the new election dates, a viral video clip of President Muhammadu Buhari hinting death for any person involved in ballot box snatching is now generating lots of comments from Nigerians especially on social media platforms. At the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), we find the president’s remarks to be dangerous as the comments only suggests the penalty without clearly stating the agency or body responsible for executing the punishment.
“While we strongly condemn ballot box snatching and any act capable of disrupting or jeopardizing the credible conduct of the elections as democratic and peace advocates, we are concerned that the president ought to have used electoral act provision to caution politicians against engaging in ballot box snatching rather than “life costing” threat which can be abused and which by extension may spark violence, the danger we foresee in the comments is that some people may engage in violent acts against other people on the basis of ballot box snatching. The president should have rather asked voters to be extremely vigilant, spot and report ballot box snatching to appropriate authorities for immediate redress. As a democratic nation, Nigeria has electoral laws that can deal with ballot box snatching and other electoral offences, as such, decrying a death punishment is absolutely wrong.
He said further,“We have also learnt that Prof. Okey
Ibeanu, a National Commissioner in the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) has been subjected to various forms of intimidation on social
media platforms, he was widely but wrongly identified as Chair of the INEC’s
Advisory Committee on Logistics for the 2019 Elections, the affiliation is
completely false, and the chair of the said committee is AVM Ahmed Muazu, as
such Prof. Ibeanu deserves no harassment, intimidation or insults as
postponement of the election is INEC’s decision.
“Similar thing happened to Prof. Chidi Odinkalu after an interview he granted
to Channels TV debunking the killing of 66 Fulani herdsmen in Kajuru last week,
the two are now subjects of harassment and intimidation on especially Twitter
and Facebook. We want to call on those involved in intimidating the two to
stop, be peace loving and advocates especially at a critical time like this. We
again want to extend the same call to social media users to avoid acting on
Fake News or Rumours as the two are dangerous to peaceful conduct of the
elections.
“At this period of election postponement, we urge politicians, aspirants and the entire electorate to be mindful of their actions in order to ensure the elections hold peacefully. Security agents at different levels need to intensify their vigilance while the media should continue enlighten voters on the need to support the peaceful conduct of the elections.”
The Presidency however defended Buhari Tuesday insisting ballot box snatchers will not be spared. Security forces will not standby and clap if ballot box snatchers kill and maim people,Presidency said.
