Activists blame governors for political violence

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29 March 2011

Activists blame governors for political violence

A coalition of civil society organisations monitoring the 2011 general elections has said, state governors are largely responsible for the political violence being experienced across Nigeria. Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a press conference organised by the 2011 Nigeria Election Situation Room, comprising more than 40 civil society organisations, Jibrin Ibrahim, executive director of Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), said the raging violence poses a serious threat to the conduct of free, fair and credible general elections across the country in April.

“The unprecedented levels of violence that have seen several people either killed, maimed, kidnapped or intimidated for political reasons pose the single most significant threat to the conduct of general elections beginning in only a few days,” the group said.

Furthermore, he said, the coalition attributed the violence mostly to the actions of governors in specific states who have worked to prevent opposition parties from equal access to public venues for campaigns.

The group listed such states where incumbent governors have muscled opposition as Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Imo, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Benue, among others.