Edo 2024: Ballots, Not Bullets

JOHN MAYAKI 

The brutal showdown that unfolded in Benin City on Thursday, July 18, as feuding political actors in Edo engaged in a savage battle on the streets, must be condemned by all men of good conscience and committed democrats.

An election is a sacred ritual of democracy, which underscores the people’s status as the true custodians of power, to whom those holding political positions are accountable and in whose interest they serve.

It is a period for stock-taking and a meeting of minds. Engagements must be conducted on an intellectual plane, with disagreements settled at the ballots, not through fisticuffs or mindless acts of violence. Loss should be restricted to votes for the undeserving candidate(s), not lives.

I therefore send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the policemen who reportedly perished in the ugly incident, while praying for the injured to be granted a quick recovery. This needless loss must be fully investigated, and those responsible must face the wrath of the law.

Furthermore, the men in the arena must now choose the path of civility. Our state need not be made a theatre of war on account of an election. Candidates must design their manifestos and present a coherent argument to the public on why they deserve to be entrusted with the state’s affairs for the next four years.

Those who have chosen to present a case based solely on their competence and capacity must remain on this noble path and resist the temptation to descend into a ruinous contest of thuggery and mayhem.

Those who seek justice in the court of law should also not take the law into their own hands. They must exercise patience for the wheels of justice to grind and not resort to self-help because what happened yesterday is very shocking, very barbaric and wicked.

The ballots, not bullets, must produce the next leader of Edo State.