48 very hot hours in Nasarawa

It was 48 hours of rising anxiety by voters, last minute manipulations by desperate politicians to retain seats against mounting pressures by opponents itching to pull off the seats; and most of all; the demand on personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to beat the deadline, and deliver.

Voters’ turnout was massive, and in most places, far more than was reported in the previous Saturday when the exercise was suspended. In Nasarawa, the suspension did not dampen voters’ spirit. The widespread enthusiasm built into a rush, causing stampede at various polling stations in most locations of the state when electoral officers announced it was time up for voting at past 4pm. Not even law enforcement officers could contain voters’ desire to cast their ballot, leading the exercise into the dark hours of that Saturday even in places where accreditation commenced at the scheduled time of 8am.

At Angwan Jaba primary school in Keffi, it was the long queue of women which started it all. With their babies wrapped on their backs, they erupted into shouts of “Sai mun yi zabe, sai mun yi zabe”, Hausa equivalent of “we must vote”, when polling officers announced it was time up.

Reports of manipulations had begun to fly from some polling units much earlier in the day. The earliest report came from Giza Development Area of Keana Local Government in the southern zone. Electoral materials meant for several units disappeared after they were dispatched from the INEC office. Materials allegedly ended up in the residence of one Abu Giza, a director in the federal civil service. But the police, acting on a tip off, burst the irregularity, arresting six persons and recovering ballot materials meant for nine units.

At Wamba in the Northern zone, thugs stormed polling units with firearms and attempted snatching ballot materials. The police arrested 13 after a tip-off, according to the state police commissioner, Emmanuel Obiako who paraded them at the command headquarters in Lafia, same day.

In the same zone came a report of pre-election voting in the Wakama home residence of Information Minister, Labaran Maku, who an informant, Victor Alaku alleged had stuffed his house with ballot materials meant for several units in the area.

The police commissioner said on this one: “I got that report. The moment I got it, I ordered (my men) that they should take the informant to the man’s house (Maku’s). They searched everywhere, and there was nothing like that. The informant is now arrested for false information.”

In the Western zone came the first report from Ungwan Malam Magaji community of Kokona Local Government Area. A gang of three thugs believed to be members of a leading political party was held and beaten up by voters after they allegedly attempted to snatch ballot materials before the commencement of the exercise there. Eyewitnesses said the gang arrived at the polling unit while accreditation was on, in a vehicle known to belong to a top official of the council, and stormed in on the polling personnel.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Patrick Onah Agbo told Daily Trust on phone that he had no report of such nature at the divisional office yet. But voters at the community said the eruption of the community into a mob attack on the suspected thugs attracted the attention of soldiers on patrol, who arrived there and saved the situation.

There were widespread cases of alleged irregularities including ballot box snatching, pre-election voting, intimidation, and over-balloting around the state.

But at the end, voters left polling booths to INEC offices in the 13 local government areas. Anxiety grew even higher when the results left to pour into the collation centres at Lafia, for Nasarawa-South, Akwanga for Nasarawa-North, and Keffi for Nasarawa-West.

The early results came from the Northern zone where Madam Patricia Akwashiki, a serving senator of the PDP struggled desperately under the mounting pressure of the CPC to take the seat from her. She crashed, after the INEC declared results showing that she polled 31,682, a far figure from the CPC’s 62,815. INEC avoided stirring up confusion by announcing candidate’s names against the figures. Same was the case in the Akwanga/Nasarawa-Eggon/Wamba federal constituency seat where CPC polled 55,160 to beat PDP’s 36,688.

The CPC senate and House of Reps tickets confusion respectively arose from the January primaries. Dr. Musa Nagogo, a foundation member contested unopposed for the senate ticket, while David Ombugadu, a youthful philanthropist beat a much older politician to fly the flag. Their nomination documents were sent to INEC by the party, but the quest for zoning arrangement pushed the party into sending new names to replace the two who were offered different positions. The new names are Barrister Solomon Ewuga for senate, and Idris Yahuza for the House of Reps. Nagogo and Ombugadu rejected offers made to them, but the party proceeded to seek their replacement, although INEC recognized them for the election. Now the party is celebrating with Ewuga and Yahuza, respectively while Nagogo and Ombugadu also claim victory.

Results continued to pour into collation centres in the two remaining zones. Senator Suleiman Adokwe of PDP polled 108,844 to defeat CPC’s Tanko Wambai’s 103,320 in the Southern senatorial zone. From the same zone, Rep Mohammed Al-Makura of the PDP lost his Lafia/Obi seat to Dr. Joseph Kigbu of the CPC, while Abdullahi Onawo of the PDP clinched the Awe//Doma/Keana seat, beating CPC’s Yahaya Adams.

The Western zone was where results witnessed much more delays, dragging the period of waiting to evening of Sunday.

The delays arose from contentions that hit the compilation of results from two of the five local government areas of the zone. Results from the first three local government areas of Keffi, Kokona and Karu had been collated, showing former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu of the PDP leading with 64,384 against CPC’s General Abdullahi Ahmed Aboki who polled 58,789. In Nasarawa and Toto local governments it could not leave the local government areas, over 12 hours after the commencement of the exercise, generally.

Alleged over-balloting, ballot box-stuffing and other irregularities in those two local government areas erupted into widespread tension, with mobs rising up to stop tainted results from pouring into the collation centre in Keffi.

The situation in Toto showed that voting did not take place in the entire Buga-Karmo Ward, but that polling officers sent there turned up 10,000 votes – all valid and cast in favour of the PDP with the main contender, the CPC recording no single vote.

CPC agents in the area raised alarm during return of results at the INEC office, when they alleged that a prominent personality in Toto took polling officers to his residence, and had them submit the ballot papers for him to thumbprint the said 10,000 votes for his party. With the 10,000 votes from Bogu-Karmo, PDP’s Adamu polled 21,340 against CPC’s Aboki’s 15,363. But CPC agents refused to endorse the result, with a mob action trailing the confusion there.

Nasarawa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ahmad Makama had confirmed the allegations in Toto, saying “I have heard the situation in Toto. The procedure is that the returning officer has a responsibility by law. I am not on ground there in Toto, so I am only waiting for them to come and give me adequate briefing.

“We are trying to get them out of Toto. They should be held responsible for what is being alleged. I am here, they are there. What they are to bring to me is the copy of the result”, the REC added, saying he could not predict whether results would have to be cancelled or not.

He said the utmost priority of INEC at about past 3pm of Sunday when he spoke to Daily Trust, was to get the personnel safely out of Toto, as he confirmed tension in the area. “Our priority now is to get them out of that place. The situation is very tense there”, he said.

He however refused to confirm, or deny the allegations coming out of Nasarawa. But he confirmed that result from that area was yet to leave for Keffi, a day after results from other local government areas had been entered and collated.

But CPC agents in Nasarawa had alleged that thugs had attacked polling units at Udege and Loko areas, and snatched ballot papers to record over-balloting, leading the party’s returning agent, Barrister Mohammed Sani Bawa to raise the issue with the INEC there.

The state police commissioner had told Daily Trust by 3pm of Sunday that he had directed the Area Commander in that zone to report there to contain rising tensions. By evening of Sunday, INEC managed to enter results at the various areas, and collate same in Keffi. The Returning Officer, Yus Leonard declared PDP’s Adamu who polled 121,414 as the winner, against CPC’s General Aboki who polled 93,050 votes. The collation also declared CPC’s Musa Awana winner with 47,190 against PDP’s Rep Samuel Egya whose hopes of returning to the House for the fourth time, were dashed after he polled only 44,300.

The CPC has already challenged the return of Adamu as winner of the election. The petitioner, General Aboki, who made his contentions available to INEC in Lafia, told newsmen that the election was fraught with irregularities. His petition is titled: “Protest with respect to misconduct/fraudulent actions of the INEC officers in relation to Nasarawa-West Senatorial election.”

 

 

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