The Ebonyi State Government has called on political parties operating in the state to maintain identifiable and functional offices, arguing that fixed operational bases would strengthen political accountability, improve engagement with stakeholders and assist security agencies in monitoring and responding to political activities.
The Special Assistant to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru on Inter-Party Affairs, Comrade Sunday Nwambam, made the call on Thursday during a press briefing in Abakaliki, where he also warned political actors against inflammatory rhetoric, personal attacks and other actions capable of undermining the prevailing peace in the state.
Nwambam said the administration of Governor Nwifuru had made the maintenance of peace and security a cardinal objective of governance, stressing that political competition must not be allowed to degenerate into violence.
He urged political parties and candidates to embrace issue-based campaigns and concentrate on presenting their programmes and policies to the electorate rather than engaging in what he described as politics of calumny, insults and incitement.
“Every candidate and member of political parties should avoid any form of politics of calumny in Ebonyi State because of the interest of peace already brought by the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru,” Nwambam said.
“What we want political actors to do is to tell the people what they intend to do when elected and not issue inflammatory comments and insults here and there. Ebonyi remains peaceful and we do not want any violence.”
The governor's aide said political parties should operate from known and verifiable locations, maintaining that such offices would provide clear channels through which party members, members of the public, government institutions and security agencies could engage with their leadership.
According to him, political organisations operating without identifiable offices could create difficulties for public accountability and security coordination.
“Every political party should have an office and a base. You cannot effectively operate a political party without an identifiable office,” he said.
“If political parties are organising rallies, campaigns or meetings, there should be a known point from which such activities are coordinated. If anybody wants to visit them, make a complaint or make a submission, there should be an office to go to.
“This will also assist the government and security agencies to know where political parties are operating from and to properly coordinate security around their legitimate activities.”
Nwambam, however, advised political parties to promptly notify relevant security agencies and appropriate government authorities of major meetings, rallies and campaign activities to enable adequate security arrangements and reduce the vulnerability of such gatherings to disruption by hoodlums.
The call comes amid heightened political activities ahead of Saturday's local government elections in Ebonyi State, scheduled to hold across the 13 local government areas and 171 wards.
The Ebonyi State Police Command has announced a restriction of movement from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on election day and said security personnel had been deployed to polling units and strategic locations across the state.
The Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, EBSIEC, has also maintained that it is prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election, having previously assured political parties and other stakeholders of its readiness for the exercise.
On recent incidents of violence reported in parts of the state, Nwambam said the government had condemned the developments but cautioned against prematurely attributing criminal acts to political parties or individuals without the conclusion of investigations by the relevant security agencies.
He said the determination of culpability remained the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, which must establish the facts before making their findings public.
“We are not happy that such incidents happened, and the government is not happy about them,” he said.
“But the clear report of what actually ensued in some of those places is still a matter for investigation. You cannot simply say that a political party or an individual carried out an attack without proper investigation.
“It is the responsibility of the security agencies to investigate and tell the public what actually happened. Government has agencies and institutions responsible for responding whenever such incidents occur.”
He urged security agencies to conduct thorough and impartial investigations into the incidents and identify those responsible, rather than allowing unsubstantiated allegations to fuel further political tension.
Nwambam also expressed confidence that the forthcoming local government election would be conducted peacefully, attributing his optimism to what he described as the peaceful political atmosphere in the state.
He said political parties were entitled to participate in, or take decisions regarding, the electoral process in accordance with the law, adding that the absence of widespread pre-election litigation and crisis was an indication of a relatively stable political environment.
“The election will be peaceful. There is no crisis,” he said, adding that the Nwifuru administration had created what he described as an inclusive environment for political parties to pursue their activities and contribute to the development of the state.
The governor's aide further addressed concerns over possible destruction of campaign billboards, banners and posters, as well as alleged threats of denial of campaign venues to opposition political parties.
He said political parties and their supporters must respect the rights of their opponents to conduct lawful political activities, warning that the destruction of campaign materials and the use of provocative language could trigger avoidable tensions.
According to him, those who engage in the destruction of political materials should not automatically be regarded as acting on behalf of any political party until investigations establish their identities and motives.
“Political parties should caution their candidates and supporters against the destruction of billboards, flex banners and other campaign materials,” Nwambam said.
“They should also avoid inflammatory speeches and personal insults against their opponents. These are some of the things that can cause violence.
“Political parties should campaign in line with the relevant constitutional provisions and electoral guidelines. That is the proper way to conduct political activities in a democratic society.”
He insisted that the ruling party and other political organisations should concentrate on mobilising support for their respective candidates rather than engaging in confrontations with opponents.
Nwambam said the overriding responsibility of political leaders at a period of intense electoral activity was to lower the political temperature and ensure that competition for power did not threaten public safety.
He maintained that Governor Nwifuru's administration would continue to support lawful political engagement while working with security agencies and other stakeholders to preserve peace and order across the state.
“Ebonyi has remained peaceful, and we cannot allow any individual or group to cause violence in the state,” he said.
“Our appeal is simple: let every political party campaign peacefully, obey the rules and guidelines, respect the rights of other parties and present issues to the people. The peace of Ebonyi State must remain paramount.”
