Nigeria: Anxiety Mounts Over Tuesday’s Polls

Leadership (Abuja)

Abu Nmodu with Sani Muhaummed Sani in Bauchi, and Chinyere Amalu in Abuja

25 April 2011

Minna — With the nation yet to fully recover from the pall cast by the bloody protests that trailed the presidential poll, anxiety is mounting over tomorrow’s governorship, state and remaining national parliamentary polls.

Critical stakeholders who include the police, State Security Service (SSS), political parties, participating National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members and some foreign countries have weighed in over the weekend to express positions, offer counsels and unveil strategies that mirror the mounting tension.

There are fears that the governorship election in Niger State scheduled for tomorrow may not hold following the omission of two political parties’ logos and names from the ballot paper even as four political parties threatened to boycott the election. The directly affect parties are CPP and ARP.

The political parties opposed to the election taking place on this account are the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Social Democratic Party Movement (SDPM).

Whereas the resident electoral commissioner (REC) Dr. Emmanuel Onuchuyo is insisting that election should take place by using the re-run ballot paper instead of the original ballot papers that contained six political parties that have governorship candidates in the state, the political parties are insisting that the election should be shifted for the ballot papers to be corrected.

The REC had claimed that the reason for not allowing the logos to be used was that the development would be open to litigation.

According to Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, “The commission shall keep a register of symbols for use at elections.

“(2) The commission shall register the symbol of a political party if it is satisfied that (a) Another symbol of the same design is not registered.”

Further according to Section 83. (1) of the same Act, “Where a symbol is registered by a political party in accordance with this Act, the commission shall allot the symbol to any candidate sponsored by the political party at any election.”

The opposition parties speaking on the development to LEADERSHIP alleged that, the re-run ballot paper that consist of the names of 63 political parties instead of the original ballot paper which contains the names of the 8 political parties with governorship candidates in the state have been in circulation in the state, thereby giving room for rigging.

Also present at the media briefing were Aminu Bello, ex-officio member of the ACN and Alfa Mohammed, a chieftain of the SDPM

ANPP chairperson, Hajiya Amina Jummai Mohammed said that two weeks ago all the political parties wrote to INEC on the need to correct the anomalies as observed in the first election but wondered why the commission refused to correct it after two weeks and they are now coming up with the same complaint. He confirmed that the opposition have resolved to boycott the election.

On his part, the CPC chairman, said the action of the commission even when four other political parties objected to the use of the re-run ballot paper shows that they have another motive.

“Why is it that it is only PDP that is supporting the use of the re-run ballot paper. Please you gentlemen of the press tell Nigerians how absurd it is that the REC has suddenly started doing what PDP in the state wants.”

The chairman of PDP in Niger State, Abdulraman Enagi, said the party did not have any objection to INEC using run-off ballot paper.

Asked to clarify the development, Onucheyo said, “when the vehicle was to move we opened the ballot papers after collecting it from CBN and we discovered that logos and names of two political parties were missing and we alerted our headquarters and they said we should call the stakeholders to inform them about the situation and how to solve the problem because we have decided to use re-run ballot paper.

“INEC has right to design the ballot paper for use. Even if it is containing the 63 political parties the election will hold on Tuesday,” he said.

On the allegation that the ballot papers were already in circulation in the state the REC said, apart from seeing the vehicle when it was being opened I have not seen the ballot papers myself. What I am telling you was reported to me by my operation people, if there is allegations of ballot papers in circulation it is now left for security to do their work”.

According to him, the decision of commission to continue with the election was due to time constraint and constitutional lacuna which made it mandatory for the election to take place within certain period.

But in his reaction, the chief press secretary of INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, faulted the claim of the parties, saying that they are only raising unnecessary alarm.

Speaking to one of our correspondents on the issue, Idowu said, “The parties are just raising unnecessary alarm. How do they know that the logos of their parties are missing?

“This is because the electoral materials have not been made available to any party in the state.”

In another development, NYSC members in the state (Niger) who are supposed to serve as ad hoc staff of the INEC, have abandoned their areas of primary assignment.

LEADERSHIP investigation revealed that about eighty percent of the corps members who were scared of the post-election violence that had engulfed the north recently had used the Easter break as an excuse to travel while those who are in town were reluctant to report as presiding officers during the governorship election.

At the TRADOC Army Barrack, Minna, where some of the corps members were still taking refuge, they told LEADERSHIP that despite assurances from the government and NYSC authority they will not want to take the risk to participate in the next election.

A corps member named Theresa said, “From the way we escaped the last time from our lodge it is still too fresh for us to take another risk except if one has two lives.”

Another corps member who refused to give her name said, “If it is possible I will take my transfer from here because psychologically my mind is off from here. It is not for me. Even my parents are not that comfortable that I am still here.”

A check at the corps members lodge at Tunga, Maintumbi and Makunkele revealed that all the lodges were deserted except the gate men who said since last Monday’s violent riot in Minna, none of the members had come back to the lodge.

It will be recalled that corps members in the last presidential election in Suleja abandoned their duty posts where they were posted as ad-hoc staff following the last bomb blast in the area.

Meanwhile, the police command in Bauchi has written to the inspector-general of police on the need for the deployment of more policemen to the state to beef up security during the rescheduled April 28 gubernatorial, house of Assembly, and postponed senatorial elections.

“I have asked the IG of Police to send me more men for the governorship elections, house of Assembly and postponed senatorial elections that will come up on the 28th of this month, police commissioner Amama John Abakasanga told the press in Bauchi.

Abakasanga who was deployed from Kogi, to Bauchi State for the general elections said the force will not relent in its efforts to continue to provide safety and security to the inhabitants of the state before, during and after the elections.

He explained that the presence of one or two policemen at polling unit was not for the purpose of preventing electoral offences, but for keeping a relatively free environment.

In another development, ahead of tomorrow’s polls across the federation, the United States of America and the European Union have called on the leadership of Nigeria to act responsibly and end all acts of post- election violence.

The heads of EU and US Mission in Nigeria, in a joint press release made available to LEADERSHIP in Abuja, also urged all the political leaders to respect all electoral procedures and democratic processes and “pursue any legitimate challenges peaceful and within the rule of law.”

While welcoming the commendation of independent observes in the presidential election, the duo called on the electoral authorities to address the deficiencies and concerns which they have identifies in a timely and transparent manner.

Meanwhile, some 3,000 policemen and operatives of the SSS, have been deployed to provide security during tomorrow’s governorship election in Lagos State.

Consequently, foreign nationals especially those from neighbouring Ghana, Benin Republic and their Nigerien counterparts have been warned to stay away from polling centres in the country or risk immediate deportation.

Sources within the command told LEADERSHIP that the bulk of the policemen were men and women of the anti-riot police, who are expected to man strategic areas of the metropolis among other areas.

It was also gathered that the military have also been directed by the defense Headquarters, Abuja, to assist the police by providing adequate support, to ensure that there was no break-down of law and order throughout the period of the exercise.

The state commissioner of police (CP), Mohammed Abbas, in a telephone interview said, he did not foresee any problem whatsoever in the state in the area of security. He however, called on politicians in the state to play the game according to the rules.

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