International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue XII, December 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Political Campaign and Human Rights Violation in Rivers State, Nigeria, 2013-2021
Abu, Christian Ukeame
Department of Political Science, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Abstract: Human Rights Abuses ranging from torture and kidnap to disappearance of persons and political assassinations, among others, have become a recurring decimal in Rivers State politics in recent times. These, in most cases, are perpetrated by the Law Enforcement Agents deployed to the campaign grounds as well as unknown uniform gunmen who exploit the proclivities of the Law Enforcement Agencies to inflict harm on the citizens on campaign and off campaign grounds. Extant literature shows that while scholars have examined how variables like warring cult groups, unknown factions from the both conflicting parties, etc, have engendered Human Rights Abuses in Rivers State, there has not been any systematic scholarly effort directed at exploring the nexus between the dynamics of political campaigns and Human Rights Abuses in the State within the period of 2013 to 2021. This study, therefore, undertakes to interrogate this linkage. The paper utilized the Social Conflict Theory as a framework of analysis, while also adopting the Ex-post facto research design. The Documentary method and content analysis were deployed for data collection and data analysis, respectively. The study found that the militarization of political campaigns and the excessive use of other Security Agents undermined Human Rights by exacerbating their Abuses in Rivers State, Nigeria. Appropriate punishment of officers and politicians who sponsor election-related violence is therefore recommended.
Keywords: Election campaigns, Abuses, Hate Speech, Election Violence, Law Enforcement Agencies.
I. INTRODUCTION
Random explosions of Human Rights abuses in contemporary Nigeria have become so daring and threatening to the security of lives and properties. These very acts of Human Rights abuses from different sources, ranging from incidences resulting from the activities of warring gangs, confrontational opponents to the activities of the law enforcement agents among others have affected the smooth democratization process as expected in Nigeria. The unprecedented wave of violence unleashed by human rights abuses in Nigeria have brought about a state of insecurity, the loss of confidence on the government as it affects the essence of governance among others. Some states have been implicated in the unleashing of these abuses on the masses at a large scale, some of these states include those of the north east, southeast, among others. On different occasions, the Nigerian state have been implicated in the abuse of human rights, ranging from the abuses done in the course of counter-insurgent operations, abuses done in the course of arrest, during elections among others. These abuses have defiled all attempts by the government to minimize its effects and seriousness in the country.