Insecurity may frustrate 2023 elections, CDD raises the alarm

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has said rising insecurity, misinformation, money politics, religion and ethic diversion may frustrate the outcome of the 2023 general elections.

The alarm was raised in a new report released Monday in Abuja. A statement by the management noted that the report titled ‘Nigeria’s presidential polls: A SWOT analysis’ raised concerns over the safety of election personnel, voters and material, as well as the hurdles politics would face as cases of kidnapping, violence, banditry, insurgency and communal clashes persist.

It noted that the 2023 general elections is a significant logistical operation, just as CDD said there are worries about reaching the 176,846 polling units, which would require the recruitment and training of close to 1.5 million poll and security officials.

“This is about four times the size of the Nigerian military,” the statement said.

CDD expressed concerns that religion, ethnicity and money politics would shape the emergence of the three major candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of All Progressive Congress (APC), Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

The report, signed by the director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, rated the credibility of the coming election high on the backdrop of the newly passed electoral law, adding that the act provided prospects that could redefine election in Nigeria.

With campaigns due in the coming week, CDD stated that insecurity would be a factor in the political calculation for the leading candidates as they traverse the country, adding that in the Northwest, the development would have impact on the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Tinubu.

At the same time, the secessionist agitations in the Southeast could reduce turnout, which may not favour either the Labour Party flag bearer, Obi or PDP candidate, Abubakar Atiku.

“Religion is likely to feature prominently in debates following the APC’s decision to run a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Renewed youth engagement in politics, a feature of the voter registration period, could also be transformative and favour Obi.

“Money will continue to play a huge role in determining who emerges the winner if the presidential primaries and recent gubernatorial elections offer any lesson. Finally, online campaigns will be more fiercely fought than ever, with attacks aimed at boosting candidates, attacking opponents and undermining INEC likely to be accentuated in social media in the run-up to, during and even after voting,” the report noted in part.