Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has cautioned politicians and lawmakers against arming unemployed youths with weapons to disrupt elections ahead of the 2027 general polls.
Speaking during plenary on Wednesday, the former Edo State governor described election violence as a major threat to democracy and urged political leaders to take responsibility for curbing it.
He warned that politicians who procure arms for thugs during elections often lose control of those weapons afterward, leading to a surge in violent crimes across the country.
Oshiomhole said, “We can’t have an election that seems to be a war where young men and not so young, carry AK-47 either to chase away opponents or even to chase away the young men and women who are presiding over elections or to take over collation centers.
“AK-47 is not like buying akara on the street — only big men can buy them. After every election, violent crimes increase because the politicians who procured weapons for children who are hungry and pay them a little fee are not able to retrieve the weapons. Those weapons are then deployed for violence.”
The senator recalled that he had previously warned about this issue when he was a sitting governor, stressing that unchecked political violence undermines national security and erodes public trust in democracy.
He added, “If we all decide from our hearts to remove violence and allow Nigerians to hire and fire their leaders without fear, we will achieve free, fair, and transparent elections. The beauty of democracy lies in knowing that the people freely found you worthy to represent them.”
Oshiomhole urged his colleagues in the Senate to lead by example by rejecting any form of electoral manipulation or sponsorship of violence.
“As elected persons, we should resolve that we will not directly or indirectly, secretly or openly, arm unemployed people to disrupt elections. If we get our character right, this problem is 90 percent solved,” he stated.
