POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE: Panel demands protection, free hand •Jonathan wants report in 6 weeks

MEMBERS  of the panel set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the post-election violence in parts of the North and Akwa Ibom State, in which a number of people were killed, have requested for protection and non-interference from government in the course of their assignment.

The president, on Wednesday in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, inaugurated the 22-member panel headed by a retired Grand Khadi of Niger State, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, with an instruction to wind up and submit their recommendations in six weeks.

While commending the president on behalf of other members for the opportunity given to them to serve the nation, Lemu made two requests, which he said would facilitate the work of the panel.

According to him, “I have two substantive requests to make on behalf of the members and that is effective security, in view of the scepticism of some political parties and assumption  of a witch-hunt.

Consequently, I request Mr  President again for effective measures to forestall interference by anybody from any quarters.”

Lemu, who regretted that the nation was confronted with a series of tragic and traumatic events occasioning great distress to many families in different parts of the country, noted that “these acts of violence, wanton carnage and mindless destruction of property are all the more disheartening, because they were acts inflicted upon the nation by none other than Nigerians.”

He added: “One is further saddened by the fact that the acts of electoral violence which this panel is constituted to investigate, ironically, occurred around a general election widely acclaimed by local and international electoral observers and monitors of being the freest and most transparent in the annals of our national history.

“We are quite appreciative of the great responsibility the current circumstances imposed on the Federal Government particularly, in terms of taking adequate steps to determine and inform the citizenry, as well as our international development partners of how this event came about and where those whose culpability is proven therein to stand vis-à-vis our laws,” he stated.

The panel chairman, who spoke of the enormity of the task before them “as well as our own individual and collective responsibility to our conscience and our fatherland in that regard,” assured President Jonathan that they would apply themselves to the task with forthrightness, equity and fairness that it deserved. 

Similarly, he said that the panel’s findings and recommendations would go a long way towards “eradicating these seemingly intractable acts of self-inflicted violence.”

President Jonathan, in his address had enumerated actions his administration had initiated to ensure a credible election process, saying that those behind the post- election violence were apparently trying to prevent the celebration of the progressive march of the nation’s democratic experience, even when the election was acclaimed to be free, fair and credible.

According to him: “We took practical steps to ensure the attainment of this goal; the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) was reconstituted with credible and non-partisan people to the acclaim of Nigerians and the international community.

“The 2007 Electoral Act was expeditiously amended, funds requested by INEC were speedily released; we encouraged the accreditation of internationally recognised election observer groups. In essence, our administration left no one in doubt, as we resolved to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections which will be a watershed for the conduct of future elections.

“It is gratifying to note that the conduct and the outcome of the elections, which commenced with that of the National Assembly, were adjudged to be credible by both local and foreign observers, as well as the generality of Nigerians,” he said. 

He added that: “The presidential election recorded a substantial improvement as attested to by all the stakeholders. Consequently, there was clearly a renewed hope in the capability of our democratic process to midwife generally free and credible elections devoid of rancour and recriminations for the first time.

“Given this backdrop, it is difficult to comprehend the spate of unprecedented violence that gripped some parts of the federation just after the announcement of the results of the presidential election.

“This unfortunate development was, no doubt, meant to mar what ought to have been a celebration of the progressive march of our democratic experience. The unimaginable orgy of violence that followed resulted in the deaths of scores of Nigerians while personal and public properties worth millions of naira were destroyed,” Jonathan regretted.

While giving the panel six weeks to conclude its assignment, President Jonathan also gave them their terms of reference to include:

•To investigate the immediate and remote cause(s) of the pre-election violence in Akwa Ibom State, as well as the tide of unrest in some states of the federation following the presidential election and make appropriate recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence;

•To ascertain the number of persons who lost their lives or sustained injuries during the violence;

•To identify the spread and extent of loss and damage to means of livelihood and assess the cost of damage to personal and public properties and places of worship and make appropriate recommendations;

•To investigate the sources of weapons used in the unrest and recommend how to stem the tide of illegal flow of such weapons to the country and;

•To examine any other matter incidental or relevant to the unrest and advise government as appropriate.

Those sworn in on Wednesday included chairman, Ahmed Lemu; Justice Samson Uwaifo (vice chairman) and F.F. Ogunshakin (secretary). Members included Reverend Idowu Faeron; Alhaji Muhammadu Danmadami; Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; Mrs Lateef Okunnu; M.B. Wali and Dr Timiebi Koripamo-Agari.

Others are President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Peter Esele; Alhaji Muhammed Ibrahim; Professor  Femi Odekunle; President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue; Alhaji Bukar Usman; Sheikh Adam Idoko; Major-General Mohammed Said (retd); Mr P.C. Okorie, Arc. Shamsuna Ahmed; Major-General L.P. Ngubane; Alhaji Sani Maikudi; Rear Admiral I. Hotonu, and Ogungbemi Idowu Damilola, who is a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).