Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on his fellow politicians and lawmakers to refrain from exploiting unemployed youths to disrupt elections. Speaking during Wednesday's plenary in the Senate, Oshiomhole emphasized the need to eliminate violence from Nigeria's electoral process, stating that elections should not resemble a war where young men and women are armed to intimidate opponents or take over coalition centers ¹ ² ³.
Oshiomhole highlighted the correlation between elections and increased criminal activity, noting that politicians often provide weapons to hungry youths, who then resort to violence after the elections. He urged senators to collectively resolve not to directly or indirectly support or arm unemployed individuals to disrupt elections, stating that this would solve 90% of the problem ⁴ ².
The senator also expressed concerns about the use of technology in elections, cautioning against hackers, and disapproved of conducting presidential, National Assembly, and gubernatorial elections on the same day. He emphasized that democracy's true essence lies in representing the people's will, not just occupying an important elective office ⁴ ¹.
