An old English jurist, Lord (John Allsebrook) Simon will say that our political system will only work as long as responsible people in different parties (political actors) accept the view that it is better that the other side should win than that there be the breakdown of law and order.

With 157 days from this day (20-9-2022) to the general election and just 8 days to the kick-off of official political campaigns and rallies, politicians and their teaming number of supporters are advised to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship and patriotism as they go about the political activities. Each and every one of them should have in mind that it is “Nigeria first” and all actions must portray that the positive change of the society is why there is the provision for these electoral processes by the laws of the land.

Responsible people in different parties with different political views should see to it that it is in everyone’s best interest to see that the law is abided and the constitution is never broken even if it incurs losses to their political parties or at the detriment of their political view, in as much as they incurred that losses resisting the urge to break the laws, they are heroes and patriots of the constitution.

When political actors put Nigeria first then everyone, each of them will act within the spirit of the law and its morality while they go about their political activities this season.

Everyone (candidates, members of political parties, and voters) should know that it is Nigeria first before political views or political ideologies. It is Nigeria first before political candidates or political membership. This is how patriots and heroes of democracy think and act.

The Nation first! 

The INEC has taken the pain to highlight rules of engagement that political actors and their supporters must memorize and keep to their hearts for the conduct of their political activities before, during, and after the 2023 elections. Some of these codes of conduct include:

-All Political Parties shall abide by all the Laws, rules, and regulations of Nigeria relating to elections and the maintenance of public order.

– All Political Parties shall at all times uphold the rights and freedoms of the Nigerian people, as guaranteed by law.

-All Political Parties have the right and freedom to put forward their views to the electorate without hindrance from other oppositions. 

-Political parties shall respect the rights of all participants in an election.              

-No Political Party shall use State apparatus including State-owned print and electronic media to the advantage or disadvantage of any other Political Party or candidate at an election. 

-No Political Party shall engage in violent activity or intimidation of any kind, as a way of demonstrating its strength or supremacy. 

-Every Political Party shall at all fora and at all times avoid defamatory, derogatory, and insulting attacks on rival parties or individual personalities through any form of communication, verbal or written.

-During campaigns, No political Party or candidate shall resort to the use of inflammatory language, provocative actions, images, or manifestations that incite violence, hatred, contempt, or intimidation against another party or candidate or any person or group of persons. 

– All Political Parties shall take all necessary steps to coordinate their campaign activities in such a way as to avoid holding rallies, meetings, marches, or demonstrations close to one another at the same time. 

-No Political Party or candidate shall prevent other parties or candidates from pasting their posters or distributing their leaflets, handbills, and other publicity materials in a public place. Etc 

In general, these codes of conduct point toward one direction which is; that “all political activities should be conducted within the bounds of the law and political parties should make sure that their members adhere to the rules of engagement and other electoral laws as it has been provided by INEC and other relevant regulatory statutes”.

This is in fact the period when the electorates and eligible voters should pay rapt attention to political activities. Any political party that conducts its activities outside the regulation provided by the electoral laws during its campaign or any other political activity has shown a clear sign that they are breakers of the law and if elected will be associated with impunity, foul play, and total disregard / disrespect to the rule of law.

Charity, as they say, begins at home and this is the time for political parties to prove to electorates that they are upholders of the law starting by not breaking any electoral laws as provided by INEC and other relevant regulatory laws during this period.

If no one abides or plays by the rule of the electoral laws, laws will be undermined and this will lead to anarchy but if politicians put Nigeria first even at the detriment or loss of their political parties then Nigeria will be on the smooth ride this political season, free from electoral vices.

May Nigeria succeed.

A video was trending last week of two boys assaulting a police officer; they brushed down that police officer as they were shuffling and shouting at themselves. 

Reacting to this video, the Public Relations Officer of the Police Force Headquarters, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi stated thus on his Twitter page: “Even if a policeman on uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate more so if he is on his (official) uniform, it is an act of disrespect to Nigeria, to beat an officer on a police uniform,  the disrespect is not to the policeman but to our nation and its a crime as enshrined in our criminal laws”. 

If I understand his tweet properly, he is trying to put it out there that a police officer on duty is not acting in his (personal) capacity, rather, that police officer is acting in his official capacity as a law enforcement agent of the country and therefore acting on behalf of the federal republic of Nigeria and every respect and honor that is to be accorded to the federal republic of Nigeria should as well be accorded to that officer.

This force Pro line of thought although reasonable but is to some extent flawed and I beg to respectfully disagree with him to some extent.

In as much as a police officer is acting on behalf of the government, no law anywhere empowers a police officer or any other law enforcement agent to slap or assault a citizen under any circumstance. He is not even allowed to slap or assault a suspect or an accused person. If he does, he has committed a crime punishable under the Nigerian laws and if a citizen assaulted or slapped by an officer decides to retaliate in the heat of the moment, they can only at best be tagged as “two fightings”. 

This statement of the force PRO is more like an encouragement to officers to assault citizens because they know they are serving the government and the citizens cannot retaliate or assault them back. 

This is what the criminal code act of Nigeria has to say in Sections 351, 354 and 355. 

351. Punishment of assault.                            Any person who unlawfully assaults another is guilty of a misdemeanor, and is liable, if no greater punishment is provided, to imprisonment for one year.

354. Assaults on person protecting wrecks.      Any person who unlawfully assaults and uses actual violence to a peace officer or any other person while acting in the execution of his duty in or concerning the preservation of a vessel in distress, or of any vessel or goods wrecked or stranded or lying under water, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.

355. Assaults occasioning harm.                    Any person who unlawfully assaults another and thereby does him harm, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.

There is no exception or exemption to this crime. If a police officer slaps or assaults a citizen during the course of his duty, that police officer will not be exempted or excused because he is an officer of the law, he has committed a felony and will also be duly prosecuted.

Citizens are encouraged to respect law enforcement agents and the intent of this post is never to make an excuse for any form of uncivilized behavior by any person against officers of the federal republic of Nigeria, but actions call for reaction, therefore, law enforcement agents are also expected to be civil and uphold the highest form of decorum while discharging their statutory duties as they will never be exempted from prosecution if they commit any crime in the discharge of their duties.