The 2019 general election is under serious threat because of the sustained killings in the country, according to the United Progressive Party (UPP), which issued a release urging the federal government to take proactive action on the growing insecurity in the country.
The UPP argued that no meaningful campaign would take place in a volatile and dangerous environment, noting further that the elections risk experiencing very low and poor voter turnout.
The party said insecurity threat would make the country unsafe and could add to the already existing voter apathy, which has been a noticeable problem with the electorate in recently conducted exercises.
This was contained in a statement signed by the party’s national chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, who observed that the spate of killings in Plateau State, in particular, was fast assuming a proportion of a genocide that has put Nigeria on the world map for shameful reasons.
The party regretted that despite being equipped with needed modern technology, the Nigeria Police have been unable to arrest the situation leading to sustain criminal activities by marauders.
“If no urgent steps are taken to check the activities of the insurgents, the political campaigns leading to the much expected 2019 general elections may be seriously jeopardized as no meaningful campaign can take place in volatile and dangerous environment, including the fact that very low and poor voter turnout will be expected in the areas that are unsafe.
“We believe that these terrorists communicate among themselves and with their sponsors within and outside Nigeria. It is therefore unacceptable that the Police Force that has been equipped with modern technology has not been able to make any significant breakthrough or made arrest of these blood hounds, who have made life so short and brutish in many parts of Nigeria”, he said.
The party advised the federal government to stop blaming political opponents instead should redirect its security architecture to tackle the growing insecurity across the country.
“We urge the Nigeria Police, especially the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to deploy the same technology that he has used to crack recent armed robbery and kidnapping criminal activities where the perpetrators escaped and within a short time most of them were rounded up with the use of modern technology of which the general public has applauded the Police,” he said.
