By Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd)
There is a troubling convergence in recent political messaging—one that should alarm every serious observer of governance and security in Nigeria. Increasingly, the rising tide of killings and insecurity is being framed, almost casually, as an unfortunate but temporary by-product of the electoral season. As if to say: bear with it; it will pass when the politics settles.
This is not just insensitive. It is dangerous.
When leaders reduce the loss of human life to an electoral side-effect, they cross a line from explanation into rationalisation. They inadvertently communicate that some level of bloodshed is tolerable—so long as it fits within a political timeline. That is a message no responsible state should ever send.
We have heard this line, predictably, from Godswill Akpabio – and, not surprisingly, (no one has ever accused him of being an especially thoughtful or careful public communicator). But what is far more concerning is hearing echoes of the same sentiment, in tone if not exact wording, from Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while receiving Plateau leaders, including remarks to the effect that “I am very stubborn; killings will not discourage me from pursuing a second term.”
That framing is deeply unsettling.
Because governance is not a campaign strategy. It is a constitutional obligation.
The primary duty of the state is not to win elections – it is to protect lives. That duty does not pause for politics. It does not become negotiable because ballots are approaching. And it certainly does not permit a narrative where citizens are, implicitly or otherwise, asked to endure insecurity as a seasonal inconvenience.
Let us be clear: elections do not kill people. Failures in security architecture, intelligence, accountability, and response do.
To attribute violence to “the season” is to obscure responsibility. It shifts focus away from what should be urgent questions:
Why are attacks not being prevented? Why are perpetrators not being decisively apprehended and prosecuted? Why do communities continue to feel unprotected, unheard, and exposed?
In conflict and insecurity, perception matters. When citizens begin to sense that their suffering is being politically contextualised rather than operationally addressed, trust erodes. And once trust erodes, cooperation—the lifeblood of any effective security response – follows.
Statesmanship demands a different tone. It requires acknowledging the gravity of the situation, demonstrating empathy, and above all, conveying unmistakable resolve: that every life matters, every attack is unacceptable, and every effort will be made – relentlessly and professionally – to stop the violence.
Anything less risks normalising what should never be normal.
Nigeria cannot afford a doctrine – spoken or implied – where citizens are told, in effect, to survive the season.
Because for those who do not survive the election season killings, there is no “after the elections.”
Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd) is a Security & Defence Analyst/Conflict Security & Development Consult Ltd