The Nigeria Police Force has advised all politicians to eschew violence and caution their supporters against threatening voices of dissent and opposition in the run-up to the 2023 general elections.

The police said any threat to life was a criminal offence, adding that the Electoral Act is also clear on the appropriate punishment prescribed for election-related crimes.

The Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi stated this in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday against the backdrop of online bullying and violent verbal exchange between the supporters of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu and the Labour Party flagbearer, Peter Obi.

A report had alleged that the Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo advised Tinubu to seek medical care and give the LP presidential candidate the chance to rule, but the Ghana High Commissioner in Nigeria, Abdulrashid Bawa, had since denied the report in a statement.

The High Commissioner described the report as false and misleading, adding that the Ghanaian leader did not write such a letter to the APC leader.

A viral video of the Pyrates Confraternity in which the members were mocking a leading presidential candidate in a song also attracted anger and condemnations across the country.

Similarly, there has been increased cyber bullying on social media and attacks by over-zealous presidential candidates’ supporters sparking anxiety that this might culminate in electoral violence during the campaigns which would kick off in September.

This is happening as findings by The PUNCH indicate that no fewer than 27 persons were killed in 28 separate incidents of electoral violence in the country in the past seven months.

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But stressing that the police would not take lightly the violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, Adejobi advised anyone who felt threatened to report to the police for necessary action.

He stated, “Threats to life is a criminal offence, and everyone has the right to take up cases against anyone who threatens their life or engages in an act capable of making their life precarious, or causing a problem in the country. Hence, whosoever feels threatened is at liberty to approach the police formally, for necessary action.

“The Electoral Act is clear on electoral offences and appropriate punishments. Also, our criminal laws can be applied in handling election-related crises. We have our laws and we are duty-bound to enforce them at all times.

“While we urge all political actors to be law-abiding and desist from violating the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, we will always engage relevant stakeholders, especially politicians, in deliberations, from time to time, on how to have a seamless exercise in 2023.”

INEC backs police

The Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi,  said the Nigeria Police was in order to advise supporters of presidential candidates not to engage in violence, pointing out that no meaningful electoral activities can take place amid chaos.

He noted, ‘’It is not for nothing that the Independent National Electoral Commission works closely with security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to guarantee peace in all our elections.

‘’The commission also works closely with the National Peace Committee to ensure that candidates in all major elections, especially the off-season governorship elections held in Edo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, sign the Peace Accord.

‘’My appeal to supporters of various candidates is that they should shun violence. The next general election will not be about who throws the most vicious punches. It will be about fundamental issues affecting the well being of all citizens across Nigeria.’’

Efforts to reach the Director of Media and Communications for Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga proved abortive, but the Director General of Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance, Adebayo Shittu, described the police warning as a welcome development.

According to him, putting a punitive measure in place to checkmate violation of the electoral act by political candidates and their overzealous supporters is long overdue.

He said, “It is a welcome development for the police to rise against fifth columnists. People who deliberately want to foment trouble by attempting to ensure elections never hold in the country instead of losing to the oppositions. There must be law and orderliness.

“Certain candidates and their supporters are already afraid, knowing that they stand no chance at the polls. I am not just an optimist. My optimism is buoyed by what I see happening in the country.”

The former Minister of Communications also noted that the result of the Kenya presidential election is a clear indicator for those still living in denial and believing that social media can make a change in the voting pattern of Nigeria.

“Just imagine how the man with the highest votes on social media was humbled. I am sure their eyes will clear now. Recall I once told you that the choice of Shettima and Tinubu is an unassailable combination hence people will always seek all means to run down their personalities.

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“Otherwise, why would anybody cook up a fake narrative to implicate Ghanaian president last week because they want to make Tinubu look bad the way they did. Is Nana Akufo-Addo Tinubu’s supervisor or what?” he stated.

But,the Spokesperson for the Peter Obi Support Network, Onwuasoanya Jones, in an interview with The PUNCH, Obi had been  “an advocate of peaceful and responsible conduct both in speech and action and he has always encouraged his supporters and volunteers to toe the same path of issue based engagements.

“Unfortunately, Peter Obi has been at the receiving end of very bad and tasteless blackmail against his person and even family, especially, from the angle of some ill-trained social media hirelings of Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress.

“We have seen many badly constructed fake news, outright falsehoods and hate speeches targeted against Mr Peter Obi, but in his characteristic tolerance and noble temperament, he has taken these with equanimity.

“If we a group, we wish to respond or take action against such, we know where and how to channel these complaints, we won’t overburden the Police with civil complaints like defamation of character when we know that the Police have a lot of criminal acts they are yet to tackle.