FIVE days to the off-cycle Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi governorship elections, there is tension in the three states. There are fears that apathy and violence may mar the exercise in parts of the three states. Stakeholders’ allegations and counter-allegations of plots to rig the polls via violent conduct have added fodder to the flaming fears.
In Imo, residents have expressed worries that raging insecurity in 15 of the state’s 27 local councils may affect the election negatively.
In Kogi, places like Dekina LGA, Ejule, Kotonkarfe, Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, and Yagba East are emerging as hotspots. Indeed, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Candidate, Senator Dino Melaye; and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, traded words, last Thursday, over alleged plots to import thugs from neighbouring states such as Kwara to violently manipulate the poll.
CDS Musa, IGP Egbetokun read riot act to troublemakers
Disturbed by the development, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, last Thursday, visited the three states, interacted with stakeholders and assured them that the security agencies would ensure peaceful polls.
Also, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, warned political gladiators and their followers that the police and other security agencies would not allow any act of hooliganism, political rascality, and lawlessness during the November governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states or any other state across the country.
No cause for fear — CDS
Speaking during the visits to the three states where he held meetings with heads of security agencies, General Musa told stakeholders that troops would remain apolitical to ensure free, fair, credible and inclusive elections that Nigerians would be proud of.
He said: “Nigerians should have trust and belief in the security agencies, by turning out to vote on Election Day. Do not be scared; security forces will be on the ground and we will ensure your safety. Come out and vote. It will be a free, fair and inclusive process.”
Security agencies are up to the task — Egbetokun
Egbetokun gave the warning during an inter-agency consultative security meeting organized in preparation for the November 11, 2023 polls at Force Headquarters, Abuja
Underlining the significance of cross-fertilizing ideas among the various security and law enforcement agencies towards election security, IGP Egbetokun said: “The goal is to develop collaborative strategies that will ensure the upcoming elections are secure, free, fair, and credible.”
In attendance were senior officers representing the leadership of various security and law enforcement agencies involved in election security including representatives of the Service Chiefs (CDS, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Defence Intelligence, DG DSS, DG NIA, CG NIS, CG NSCDC, CG NCS, CG Correctional Services, CG Federal Fire Service, and DG NDLEA.
The meeting dissected a range of topics, reflecting the diverse considerations of election security in the three states, including an in-depth analysis of potential threats and vulnerabilities.
It also emphasised intelligence sharing, logistical planning, conflict prevention, technology and innovations as well as manpower deployment.
Insisting that plans had been made to maintain law and order during the elections, he warned political gladiators, and their followers to be law-abiding and play the game according to the rules.
He implored residents and stakeholders to cooperate with the police and other law enforcement agents deployed for election duty to achieve a peaceful and transparent process.
Kogi hotspots
Kogi is one of the states in Nigeria with a propensity for electoral violence. The state has experienced repeated challenges in its off-cycle polls, including violence and the use of political thugs to unleash mayhem.
Vote-buying is a recurring issue in the Confluence State.
The high level of poverty and unemployment in the country of which Kogi is not insulated can make many of the over 1,932,000 voters susceptible to manipulation.
Repeatedly, Governor Yahaya Bello has assured that the November 11 poll would be the most peaceful ever in the history of the state because there would be no room for troublemakers to operate.
Security agencies have also given the same pledge.
Despite the assurance of the governor, Inspector General of Police and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, there is still growing concern that the election may be marred by violence, especially in some hotspots in the state.
Places like Dekina LGA, Ejule, Kotonkarfe, Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, and Yagba East may experience violence during the election.
Dekina council area is notorious for harbouring bad boys. Anyigba, which hosts the state university has become a fertile ground for recruiting cultists, most of whom metamorphose into political thugs.
The interference of thugs in areas like Anyigba and Dekina town during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections led to the threat of cancellation of the polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. There are fears that the ugly scenario may recur.
Ejule
Ejule in Ofu LGA of the state has a long history of political violence. The ‘Igala’ agenda going on in the Eastern flank of the state is. expected to be challenged by the APC deputy Governorship candidate, Joel Salifu Oyibo who wants to ‘deliver’ his council area for his party.
Igalamela/Odolu
The Social Democratic Congress SDP, candidate is from this area. But the emergence of former House of Assembly member, Friday Makama as head of the now disbanded Firearm Recovery Commission set up by the state government has made the area a place to watch during the election.
Koton Karfe
The APC and the SDP twice had a face-off in the community. The political incursions of the SDP deputy Governorship candidate, Sam Abeneme, are been checkmated by some top government appointees from the area such as the Commissioner for Solid Mineral, Bashir Gegu.
Kabba/Bunu Ijumu LGA
Kabba/Bunu Ijumu Council area is where the PDP governorship candidate, Dino Melaye, hails from. However, the APC has many appointees from the area who want to beat the PDP candidate in the election.
Yagba East LGA
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, Governorship Candidate, Leke Abejide is from the Yagba East. Ordinarily, he stands comfortable in his council having performed excellently as a House of Representatives member. However, top government appointees such as the state commissioner for Finance, Asiru Idris and the council chairman who is the younger brother to the commissioner, Ijagbemi Abdulrasaq Asiru, wanting to prove their political relevance can lead to confrontations.
Mopamuro
In Mopamuro LGA, the duo of state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, and one-time State Assembly member, Commodore Folusho Daniel, retd, of the ADC are likely to square -up. Daniel, who was Fanwo’s former boss, had two weeks ago accused the Information commissioner of planning to attack or kill him during the poll. Fanwo had denied the accusation and mulled the idea of going to court to address the accusation.
However, the decision of the state government to book all Hotel’ rooms in the state from Saturday, November 4 to Sunday, November 12, is generating dust in the polity.
ADC Chief Spokesperson, Shola Adebola, alleged that the decision was a decoy by the state government to provide accommodations for recruited thugs it intends to unleash during the election.
The state government countered that it intended to ensure that troublemakers don’t use the hotels to foment trouble during the poll.
Battlegrounds, challenges in Bayelsa
Five days away, all is now set for the election in Bayelsa. Already, all non-sensitive materials and logistics have been fully mobilized to all the Registration Areas Centres, RAC, according to the Resident National Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr. Obo Effanga.
On the challenges posed by the state riverine terrain, especially in conveying its personnel and materials, an INEC official assured that the commission had concluded arrangements with the Marine Police, Navy and the Army to provide gunboats in addition to the boats that will carry personnel and materials to locations.
The commission, he added, had also met with the service providers, based on the MoU entered into with the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the National Association of Road Transport Owners to take care of logistics in the upland areas as well as with the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, to address transportation in the riverine enclave of the state.
Historically, political gladiators are known to have stoked violence at flashpoints (Nembe, Brass, Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw LGAs) of the state at every election cycle, leading to loss of lives and destruction of properties as well as voter apathy.
Already, stakeholders have called on the security agencies to escalate their presence in the state to protect the people from anticipated attacks before, during and after the governorship poll.
Police, others deploy 40,000 personnel
According to the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr Tolani Alausa, the police which had initially planned to deploy 27,000 personnel during the election have now increased it to almost 40,000 including other sister security agencies to ensure people go out and vote peacefully.
Alausa, who stated this while addressing a rally organised by civil society organisations, last week, regretted that elections in the state had always been characterized by violence, adding that some men of the command were killed during the 2019 governorship election.
He said: “Police as a leading agency in the security architecture, we are taking cognizance of your theme, ‘Never Again’, because it’s apt for this purpose, all the political class needs is to play by the rules of the game, never again shall we have people murdered because of the election, in the last election, not only civilians were killed but some police officers were also killed.
“We are going to do everything within our constitutional rights to ensure that we defend the right of all Bayelsa indigenes and residents to go out there and cast their votes without harassment or molestation.
“Good enough we are in an off-cycle election, where we are going to have enough security around the state, like I said before now, we were going to deploy 27,000 policemen but it has increased to almost 40,000 men including other sister security personnel to ensure that people go out and vote.”
Fear of violence, and apathy grow in 15 LGAs in Imo
In Imo, fear and tension have continued to spread in about 15 troubled LGAs
Weekend, residents expressed doubts that elections could be held in all the polling units of the 27 council areas of the state.
LGAs said that fear has taken over and there could be widespread voter apathy including insecurity-ravaged Orsu, Orlu, Nkwerre, Okigwe, Oguta, Ihitte Uboma, Ngor Okpala, Onuimo, Obowo, Ehime Mbano, Njaba, Isu, the Mbaise areas of Ahiazu, Ezinihitte and Aboh Mbaise.
For these areas, the residents said much has not been done in terms of addressing the issue of insecurity and for that reason, it could be difficult terrains for electoral officers to operate.
At the time of filing this story, many residents in these areas had fled for fear of being attacked as a result of the election. They were also threatened by the series of violence that befell them in the past three years.
A resident said: “Political thugs have been stationed in some of these LGAs by politicians and there will be battles. While the incumbent is trying to have an upper hand the opposition will resist him.”
On how it will affect the governorship election, some residents expressed worry that election materials could be diverted to favour the strongest political party in the state.
According to some of them; “There is serious tension in the entire Orlu zone. Our people are leaving in droves. I want to ask who are the people that will vote on that day when our people are running away because they have been threatened that if they do not vote for a particular political party they will be beaten on the day of the election?
“I have sent my wife and children to Owerri. What it means is that on that day they will not vote. This is not the best election in IMO. We have not seen this kind of election in Imo. An election where people are not allowed to vote according to their choice is wrong, my brother.”
A traditional ruler from the Okigwe council area who now lives in Owerri alleged that unknown gunmen were used to chase him away from his palace because he refused to support a political party in the state and that he was threatened that he would be dethroned.
“Whatever result you get from the entire Okigwe area of Imo State there is a need to verify it. Our area is pummeled by insecurity; only those who think that they are more powerful now have their way. We have been chased away from our communities. It is not just me, I have other of my friends who are traditional rulers.”
“Even the Orsu council area of Imo state has been reportedly taken over by hoodlums. More than 25 communities are under attack. The traditional heads of these communities have been sacked and are now residing in Owerri alongside their family members.
Insecurity badly affected the 12 LGAs of the Orlu zone (Imo West) as well as most of the six council areas of the Okigwe zone (Imo North). Only a few of the nine council areas in Owerri zone are reported to be under threat, especially Ngor Okpala, and other council areas that have borders with Orlu and Okigwe zones.
On the part of the INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sylvia Agu, said the was taking steps to overcome the challenges.
To ensure that the trouble spots were addressed, she said “the Commission has conducted the training of staff and done a readiness assessment required for the Amber Zone,” and the INEC Election Monitoring and Support Centre, EMSC, hosted the 27 electoral officers and their assistants (Operations), the Heads of departments and State EMSC desk officers.
“The assessment, covered every facet of election preparedness from election security, voter education and publicity, election officials, to the availability of non-sensitive election materials in their right quantities. The meeting was an objective platform to examine and predict the interactions and outcomes of internal and external factors that might interfere with the peaceful and successful conduct of the elections.
On the issue of logistics to move electoral materials to different polling units, she said: “The Independent National Electoral Commission has recognised the strategic roles of proper transport logistics during elections and has commenced engagements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Nigerian Association of Transport Owners (NATO) through their State executives to secure effective and efficient transportation of men and material for the elections. This timely collaboration with the transport unions, promises to forestall all possible shortfalls or disagreements with the transporters before the critical hours.”
Source: Vanguard