Amnesty International Nigeria has announced plans to document, expose and pursue international accountability against politicians and other individuals who incite electoral violence, warning that those who encourage the killing of opponents will face scrutiny beyond Nigeria.
The Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, disclosed this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, saying the organisation would gather evidence of election-related incitement and share it through its international network.
Sanusi said the move was prompted by what he described as early indications that ethnicity and religion could be exploited by political actors to inflame tensions during the August 15 Osun State governorship election and other elections scheduled in the coming months.
According to him, Amnesty International intends to identify individuals responsible for statements or actions capable of encouraging violence and ensure that such information reaches relevant governments and institutions across the world.
“One of the things we are planning to do this time, because of the early signs that ethnicity and religion will be exploited in this election or possibly other elections that are coming up in January, what we plan to do is to make sure that we document these things and individuals identified,” Sanusi said.
He specifically referred to Senator Francis Fadahunsi, alleging that the lawmaker had called on supporters to kill members of an opposition political party. The allegation remains a claim made by Sanusi and was not independently established in the material provided.
Sanusi said Amnesty would document such statements and actions and develop what he described as an international case against individuals found to have promoted violence.
“We are going to document what they have done and we are going to take it to the international level,” he said.
He added that individuals who advocate violence for political advantage should not be allowed to escape accountability.
“Anybody who advocated violence, anybody who incited others to kill others just so that he can be in power or his party should win or manipulate election, that person does not deserve any respect, any decorum,” Sanusi said.
The Amnesty official also announced plans for what he described as an international “name and shame” campaign against individuals found to have encouraged electoral violence.
According to him, Amnesty International’s presence across about 150 countries would be used to alert governments and relevant institutions about people accused of promoting political violence.
“Justice is not limited to Nigeria. Somebody can be held to account somewhere in the world and we are exploiting all these methods and we are also going to make sure that we do international name and shame,” he said.
Sanusi said the organisation would also document politicians who allegedly use religious figures or ethnicity to mobilise supporters for violent political purposes.
He warned that those who hire clerics or other influential figures to promote violence would also be identified and exposed.
The Amnesty director argued that the continued use of violence during elections had been encouraged by the perceived absence of consequences for perpetrators.
“And that, I believe, is the beginning. And I believe that as Nigerians we also have to demand the best,” he said.
“When the government is not doing the right thing, we have to tell them to do it. They have to do it. I believe that one of the things that is allowing these things to continue to happen is because there was no consequence.”
Sanusi also expressed concern over reported deaths linked to politically motivated violence in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
He referenced reports putting the number of people killed in political violence in the state at 29, stressing that the victims were ordinary citizens with families, careers and aspirations.
“Who are these human beings? You know, there are people with lives, people with families, people with jobs, people with aspirations and ambitions, and their lives got shot just because somebody wanted to be riding in a convoy with siren,” he said.
He called on political actors, security agencies and citizens to reject violence and ensure that polling units remain safe spaces for democratic participation.
“Voting, polling units should not be like battlegrounds,” Sanusi said.
“They should be a place of peace, they should be a place of assertion of people’s freedom and liberty to do and choose what they want politically without fear.”
His warning comes amid heightened political tension in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with political parties trading allegations of intimidation, threats and politically motivated attacks.
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had also raised concerns over the killings in the state, reportedly putting the number of people killed in politically motivated violence at at least 30 in the weeks leading to the election.
Falana, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, reportedly described the killings as a more urgent concern than other political controversies surrounding the election and called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible to prevent further bloodshed.
There have also been allegations from the Accord Party campaign spokesperson, Bamidele Salam, who accused the All Progressives Congress of planning to suppress voting in six local government areas in Ijeshaland and subsequently manipulate election results.
Salam made the allegation while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today. The claim is an allegation and was not independently established in the material available for this report.
With tensions mounting ahead of Saturday’s poll, Amnesty International’s position places renewed focus on the responsibility of political actors and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and respect citizens’ right to participate in elections without intimidation or fear.
The organisation’s planned documentation and international exposure campaign is also intended to send a warning that electoral violence and incitement should not be treated as ordinary political tactics, but as actions capable of attracting serious consequences.