Enugu Urban Constituency Election, Still A Long Way To Go
STUDENTS of Uwani Secondary School and neighbouring Robinson Primary School, Enugu, did not go to school on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Most businesses around the area did not also open on that day until evening. That was because the premises of the school, which is housing eight polling units of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) was being used for a court- ordered bye- election of the Enugu South Urban Constituency.
However, from 8.00am when the election was scheduled to start till the 2.00pm official closing time, nothing happened at the polling units. The only news that emanated from the area after over six hours of waiting under the scorching sun, coupled with resources that were invested, was that the election had been suspended, making it the second time in two weeks a bye- election of eight polling units that are closely knitted was put on hold in the state.
The development was not because officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) were not early with their materials at the units or there was lack of security presence, but because one of the political parties in the election, the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) had raised allegation of “fake result sheets” against the commission in the election.
Under the watch of security officials, which included the police led by the State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu; a detachment of soldiers with Armoured Carrier drawn from the 82 Division Enugu; Civil Defence Officials; DSS, among others, members of the party threatened and ensured that no voter was allowed to vote at the polling units.
Even the public vow by INEC’S Returning Officer, Mrs. Elizabeth Agwu, who was drafted to conduct the election, after the REC in Enugu, Chukwuemeka Chukwu, was suspended over allegations of corruption and compromising the process that the result sheets were “genuine and original and I am ready to testify anywhere to the genuineness of it” did not placate the situation. Rather at the twilight of the exercise, some hoodlums led by one of the candidates in the election invaded the area and destroyed electoral materials meant for the process. The candidate, however, did not get away with it, as soldiers drafted for the exercise gave him the beating of his life. Incidentally, these happened in the full glare of the former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, who said he decided to visit the election venue to appeal for peace following reports that election was not allowed to hold.
It was the second time the election process was stalled. The first happened on February 3, 2024. In the first instance, both the security and INEC officials were on ground when members of the Labour Party ( LP) and other political parties declined to participate because the Electoral Officer, Francis Chigbo and the Supervising Presiding Officer ( SPO), who were in custody of the original result sheets, were not at the venue.
Chants of “no original result sheet, no voting” that rented the area and held the process down for hours had attracted the REC, Chukwu, to the venue. He came with photocopies of result sheets used in the conduct of the 2023 election, promising “to stamp it and counter sign” to be used for the election, which was stoutly refused by the opposition political party members.
The stalemate was sustained till the time allocated for the election. INEC officials, therefore, retreated and rescheduled the election for Wednesday, February 14, with reinforced officials and other electoral materials.
The Enugu REC, Chukwuemeka Chukwu, who was accused to have provided the latitude that disrupted the first attempt, was stripped of the right to preside over the process. Unlike in the first attempt where the political parties were not given opportunity to sight the result sheets; Wednesday’s exercise provided opportunity for party agents to see the result sheets and other sensitive materials for the election as they had been summoned to the Central Bank premises for the display. PDP agents were conspicuously not at the venue during the exercise.
It was their absence during the exercise that their party agents capitalised on to accuse the commission of siding with the LP and allegedly importing fake result sheets into the election.
INEC’S Returning Officer, Mrs. Awgu, had however, insisted that there was no other result sheet anywhere, “except what I have waved and shown to everyone for this election”, challenging those who branded it “fake” to present a superior copy and more original one. Nothing of such was however brought forward by her accusers.
The PDP candidate, Sam Ngene, however, stated that members of the party received credible information that the original result sheet was allegedly given to the LP officials, stressing that it was meant for them to enter the scores they wished after the process.
“That is why we will not allow anybody to vote here today. INEC should go and produce the original copy of the result sheets. If you look at the countenance of my opponent in the LP, you will discover that they are relaxed, an indication that they knew what transpired. The last time we came here, they were all over the place protesting that unless they saw the result sheet there won’t be any voting. It went to the extent that even the REC had to come here with alternative copies of the result sheet, which they rejected. Now they are not complaining,” he stated
But the candidate of LP, Bright Ngene, insisted that the PDP was not ready for the election, alleging: “After they failed in their first plan to write results, they have come back to now allege that INEC has come with fake result sheets. You can see the way they are threatening those who came out to vote.
“The result sheet was shown to those who were at the CBN premises. PDP agents refused to come. They did not come because they knew they couldn’t win the election. I am already leading with over 3,000 votes. What is in contention here is about 4,000 votes. We want the election to
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What I can tell you is that there is a ploy to derail that election. I have a feeling that the PDP may not have the numbers to beat the LP in a fair and square process, which is why they are playing hide and seek. On the other hand, the LP may be thinking that it has won not knowing that the suspension mantra is an advantage to the PDP to put her house in order and do the right mobilisation that may turn the table against her opponents. ”
be held so that the people can decide who they want. We are prepared for the election and we will not succumb to their threats. Let the INEC hold this election and let us end this drama.”
He further stated that the PDP was down already and had realised that there was no way up to 4,000 registered voters would vote in the election, and “have therefore decided to frustrate it”.
The election was actually held last year. Bright Ngene had been declared winner by the INEC. He was, therefore, sworn into office as the lawmaker representing the area. But the protest over its outcome by Sam Ngene, candidate of the PDP, actually led to the nullification of his victory by the court and the rescheduling of a fresh election “within 90 days”.
A three man panel, led by A. M Abubakar, on September 13, last year, delivered the decisive verdict, ordering a re- run election in the eight polling units of Enugu South Urban Constituency.
He had explained that the tribunal’s decision stemmed from the fact that the number of votes credited to the proclaimed winner fell short of the number of disenfranchised voters in the constituency.
The Judge unequivocally declared that the INEC had erred in declaring Bright Ngene as the winner without first announcing a re- run election in the light of the discrepancies.
As it is, constituents are waiting on the INEC to formulate a workable strategy that will enable the election to hold. The way it is, however, each of the parties, especially PDP and LP are hell- bent on winning the seat. While the PDP members are holding on the argument that it is an urban constituency and that the party that produced the governor should be allowed to produce the lawmaker, LP members are insisting that there is no going back in returning their candidate who had already been sworn in as winner of the election last year.
They insist that Sam Ngene was enjoying the office before the 2023 general election that swept most members of the PDP out of office in the state, stressing that they would no longer fold their arms and watch the party’s fortunes dwindle in the state.
On the part of the INEC, however, will it succumb to pressure to rely on the existing result to pronounce the winner of the exercise, since efforts already made to conduct the election have not worked? This is the position of members of the LP re- echoed when they protested in front of the premises of the INEC over the botched exercise last Wednesday evening.
A political analyst, Jude Uwandu, who spoke to The Guardian on the stalemate that had attended the exercise, explained that it was left for the INEC to decide how it intends to solve the issue.
“What I can tell you is that there is a ploy to derail that election. I have a feeling that the PDP may not have the numbers to beat the LP in a fair and square process, which is why they are playing hide and seek.
“On the other hand, the LP may be thinking that it has won not knowing that the suspension mantra is an advantage to the PDP to put her house in order and do the right mobilisation that may turn the table against her opponents.
“The way it is, you cannot say for certainty that any of the political parties have an advantage over the other. Anything can happen. That is why the parties must keep their eyes on winning the election and do whatever is in tandem with the law to do so,” he stated.
Uwandu, however, expressed concern that time and resources were being expended unnecessarily in a bye- election, that if ordinarily conducted may not witness up to 1,000 legitimate voters.