Botched National Assembly elections shock Katsina

The fever pitch preparations for parliamentary elections end in an anti-climax, OLAMILEKAN LARTEY reports By Friday afternoon, last week, the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Katsina, the Katsina State capital, was bursting at the seams with activities. A day earlier, the expansive complex had been nearly deserted. Even the policemen at the gate were friendly, with a listening ear. All that changed on Friday, the eve of the National Assembly elections. Tons of election materials suddenly arrived the headquarters. INEC staff, with heaps of documents and calculators clasped in their hands shuffled around as they inspected and allocated materials to different destinations.

The once friendly policemen had become alert and suspicious. Soldiers in full battle fatigue had also taken positions around the complex in the most unusual places, amidst followers, tucked in between parked vehicles and other hidden places. Outside, tens off hired commercials vehicles had been placed on stand by, to begin ferrying sensitive election materials to the far flung and remote local government areas of the state. Representatives of the political parties had earlier met with INEC to review the plans for the distribution of the materials to the different parts of the state. One of the representatives of the parties confided in our correspondent that everything was “so far, so good.” That was on Friday night.

INEC’s Public Relations Officer, Mallaam Muktar Abu, was confident all the necessary materials would get to their destinations, particularly, local governments that were so far away. “Even sensitive materials will be taken to the remote and farthest local government areas first.” The optimism was infectious; INEC in Katsina State was fully prepared.

At the nearby police headquarters, the atmosphere was one of hyper activity. Policemen in patrol vehicles were speeding out of the premises every minute. Several riot policemen in fatigue idled around waiting for orders for deployment, ahead of the next day’s elections. Police Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Abubakar, was optimistic and confident of the preparations, especially the joint security patrol that had been deployed. “We are coming out in full force to give INEC the support to ensure a peaceful election. The strength we have deployed is reasonable, and we are going to use it for the election,” he said.

Abubakar said the joint security patrol comprised soldiers, the men of the State Security Service and the civil defence corps. Indeed, all over town, police squads were stationed at strategic locations while soldiers in combat fatigue patrolled the streets.

Despite the anxiety that Katsina State was one of the flashpoints in the country, the state was calm. The National Emergency Management Agency had listed the state among the hotspots to be watched during the elections. There were high expectations for the polls the next morning. But all that ended in an anti-climax on election day. At the Modoji Primary School Complex, voters had queued up as early as 7.30 am. Modoji has five registration units, and is one of the biggest voting centres in the state. The late President Umaru YarAdua, had cast his vote at the primary school in 2007. But last Saturday, hundreds of eligible voters had assembled, election monitors had arrived and policemen had taken position, but INEC officials were nowhere to be found.

Perhaps, relying on the experience of the voter registration exercise in January, numbers had been taken in a very effective manner so that when INEC officials arrived, it would be easy to begin accreditation ahead of voting. By 9.30am, INEC staff began to arrive Modoji, but without the necessary materials. The waiting game began, the sun rose higher, the pain severe and disappointment crept in.

Among the disappointed voters was the state Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema. Shema had departed Katsina, the state capital, around 10am, heading for his home town, Dutsinma, some one hour drive away, to vote, just like many other people. The governor could not but have noticed the high turn-out of voters in the remote villages on the road as his convoy of few cars drove quietly to Dustinma. At every polling unit, voters, especially women, some with babies strapped on their backs or in their arms, waited patiently for voting to begin after accreditation. It was well after midday.

As Shema received information that the election had been cancelled, he turned and went to his country home in Dustinma. The governor was lucky. He had access to information and modern communication facilities that are shaping the outcome of this election even when the first ballot had not been counted. Within minutes, aides, security agents and newshounds were working the phones and the internet sites for the latest election news, right there from arid Dustinma.

Unknown to many, election result sheets for polling units, officially called form EC8a and ballot papers for the senatorial elections were in short supply in the state by the time polls opened on Saturday morning.

Shema said it was unfortunate that the election would be cancelled when accreditation had taken place in several places and people were ready to start casting their votes.

“Election is a very critical process in the development of any nation. People should consider it a part of their civic responsibility,” he said.

The governor said he had received the information about the postponement of the election.

“INEC should sit up and ensure that that this does not happen again. People are waiting to start casting their votes, certainly they will not be happy about this development, but if it’s the best thing, Allah knows best,” he said. Shema who also spoke in Hausa to inform the over one million voters about the postponement of the election, advised INEC to take adequate measures to address all problems so that other elections would not suffer the same fate.

However, in far away Faskari Local Government Area of the state, angry youths who obviously did not understand the reason for the delay and absence of voting materials became restive and gathered in groups brandishing sticks and other missiles in protest. They were, however, quickly dispersed by a roving joint security patrol. State Deputy Governor, and Shema’s running mate, Abdullahi Faskari, is from the local government. It is considered one of the hotspots in the state for the election. The youths in Yankari Village had alleged that ballot papers for the National Assembly elections had been hidden in a grave somewhere in the town. The youths said this was responsible for the inadequate voting materials, particularly the ballot papers in the voting units in the local government area.

Police spokesman, Ibrahim Abubakar, however, said there was no reported incident in any part of the state. Abubakar said everything went well as the police had expected. “There have been no reported incidents anywhere,” he said.

As Katina State and its millions of registered voters mulled over the disappointment of the postponed elections; Shema again urged the people to conduct themselves peacefully during the rescheduled parliamentary elections and to turn out en masse. Whether the same enthusiasm displayed by the voters will be repeated itself remains unclear. Only the results of the elections will tell.