INEC’S key challenges ahead of polls “
Meanwhile, as the rescheduled elections hold on Saturday, a security scholar at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Olawale Albert, has urged security agents to be responsible, just as he charged citizens to be law-abiding
the police had planned the deployment of 15,544 to secure over 4, 442 of its personnel at polling units in the state last Saturday.
Despite the abrupt postponement of the general election, there were reported cases of security breach in some parts of Rivers State. In the early hours of Saturday, yet-to-be identified gunmen invaded a Registration Area Centre at Orogbum Primary School in Port Harcourt and dispossessed some members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) who had been recruited as INEC ad hoc staff of their belongings.
The hoodlums succeeded in invading the school premises because police and security personnel who were supposed to guard the school premises did not report for duty after they were told at the Central Bank in Port Harcourt that election had been postponed.
However, a security expert, Cyril Babafemi, told The Guardian that INEC and security agencies erred by not notifying the Corps members, who usually gather at RAC centre on the eve of elections to enable them to access their polling units with ease, that election had been shifted.
“The Diobu and D-line axis of Port Harcourt are not usually safe places to be at night,” he said. “I think INEC should have asked the police command or even the military to provide security for corps members who had left their homes to stay at the RAC centres close to their polling units. We thank God that no life was lost. I strongly recommend that INEC and security agencies in the state should be more proactive to avoid a repetition of this unfortunate incident.”
Even at that, an APC chieftain, Tonye Cole, said but for the postponement of the elections, over 2000 political thugs armed with lethal weapons, who were deployed to Abonnema, Rivers State, to disrupt the election would have unleashed unfathomable mayhem on the community.
Cole argued that the cancellation averted the loss of life and property in Abonnema headquarters of Akuku-toru Local Government Area of the state. While explaining that Abonnema and other neighbouring communities were under siege, Cole said he was shocked by the flagrant disregard shown for the Peace Accord signed barely a week ago by all political parties.
He therefore urged security operatives to take steps to protect lives and property, because gangsterism and thuggery should not be allowed to ruin Nigeria's democracy.
More than 50 suspected political thugs from Delta, Edo, and Abia States were arrested on the eve of the election by the Ogba/egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area Security Peace and Advisory Council (OSPAC) on their way to Ndoni.
The leader of the team, who claimed that his father is from Lebanon, while his mother is Delta State, admitted that they were contracted by a man identified as Badon to go to Ndoni to cast their vote.
The suspects, who have been handed over to the State Police Command were intercepted in four 18-seater Hiace bus at Ogbogu community with over 1,000 Permanent Voters Cards, (PVCS). But some of the names given by the suspects were different from the names on the PVCS.
In her contributions, a non-violence advocate, Sarah Atuzi, suggested that security agencies, which should have been acquainted with the violent rhetoric, and body language of some of the key political actors that overheated the political space in the state, ought to have known better to keep a tab on every known political thug.
Atuzi added: “I think the security agencies, particularly the police and DSS should profile all the bad boys in the state with a view to monitoring their movement in and out of the residences of key political players in the state throughout this week. They need to monitor the movements of a group of boys in and out of major flashpoints in the state. Asari Toru, Etche, Ikwerre, Obio-akpor, Emohua, Abua, Ahoada West to name a few places, are areas security agents must monitor closely ahead of this week’s elections.”
THE buildup to the 2019 general election, which was suspended midway, was relatively peaceful across the six states of the Southwest geopolitical zone, except in Ondo and Ogun States, where minor hitches were recorded.
For instance, in Ondo, the bickering between the ruling APC and Action Alliance (AA) continued to generate some heat, while in Ogun State the division in APC, which led to the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, supporting a rival candidate of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Adekunle Akinlade, drew much tension in the state.
However, the intriguing aspect of the situation in the zone is that all the warring APC factions continue to mouth their support for President Buhari’s reelection, such that the crises failed to attain similar momentum as obtains in some South/south and Southeast States.
In Lagos State, what could have possibly created tension ahead of the election was the denial of the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, second term ticket in the governorship primary held in October last year. Rather than support the governor for a second term, the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, preferred one of his associates and political sons, Babajide SanwoOlu, who is currently APC standard-bearer for the 2019 gubernatorial poll.
What could have created another tension in Lagos but was immediately addressed was the fracas that broke out during Sanwo-olu’s mega rally at the Police College Ikeja, where two people were killed and several injured, including two journalists.
The leadership of Lagos APC had quickly intervened with additional inputs from the presidency. An initial attempt to replace the erstwhile Commissioner of Police, Edgar Imohinmi with CP Kayode Egbe- tokun failed when Governor Ambode allegedly complained bitterly against the posting of Egbetokun on the grounds that he (Egbetokun) was a one-time Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Tinubu.
Recall that the face-off between the governor and the State House of Assembly over the impeachment attempt embarked upon by the latter over the 2019 budget for the state and other sundry issues and allegations of anti-party activities nearly set the state ablaze before Saturday.
The situation was also calmed by the quick intervention of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) led by Tinubu, which directed the legislators to drop the impeachment move, while the governor was also ordered to present the budget.
In Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, violent incidents were recorded and people died in last weekend’s failed election. For instance, in Akwa Ibom State fake policemen in five pickup vans were said to have been noticed at Okon and Odoroikot in Essien Udim Local Government Area.
Reliable sources in Okon said the dubious officers mounted illegal roadblocks and claimed they were acting on the instruction of some APC big men in the local government. They were, however, repelled by the youths who mobilized heavily, even as some persons were feared dead in the ensuring crisis. Essien Udim is Senator Godswill Akpabio’s local government.
Reacting to the situation in Obot-akara, which was also violent, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, said: “I am not aware of any fake policemen in Essien Udim and I don’t have that record at my disposal. But I am aware of the burning of seven vehicles, three motorcycles and vandalism of two buses. Ten suspects were ar- rested and two locally made pistols, Indian hemp, machetes and others were recovered as exhibits. An investigation is still ongoing. One person was macheted.”
Macdon disclosed that the police have beefed up security at INEC facilities and other important places to check reoccurrence, adding: “Because we beefed up security in Eastern Obolo when they set the place ablaze, we were able to chase the hoodlums away and put off the fire.
“INEC materials are intact and there is general deployment of additional policemen all around, intensification of patrol and intelligence gathering are ongoing to put hoodlums at bay. We have deployed over 8,000 policemen and other security agencies.”
Also, in Bendeghe Ekiem, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State PDP chairman and three others were said to have been killed. The state PPRO, Irene Ugbo said, it was two rival cult groups, Vikings and Klans that clashed in Etung.
According to her, “I think they are PDP and APC supporters and three persons died. The place has been condoned off and policemen deployed. For now the place is calm. We also arrested some people that did that havoc and they are in our custody. Investigation is on and by the grace of God they will be charged to court. I think we have five persons in our custody and they would be charged to court.”
Regarding next Saturday’s election, Ugho said the IGP has given directives that all men should be on ground, stressing that the Commissioner of Police has added more men, especially in the metropolis.
Meanwhile, as the rescheduled elections hold on Saturday, a security scholar at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Olawale Albert, has urged security agents to be responsible, just as he charged citizens to be law-abiding. Albert, who spoke to The Guardian in Ibadan, said there are many variables to be considered for the election to be peaceful. The immediate past Director, Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, maintained that the efficiency of the security and the readiness of the police to constructively engage the situation and the citizens to be law-abiding would determine the success of the polls.
But with the way of things are, he said there was nothing to cheer about, saying he is not sure if there would not be thugs on election day. The don added that the electorate should be committed to a violencefree election.
However, the Oyo State Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), John Adewoye, said the command is fully prepared, saying the postponement had given the agency and others time to fully make additional preparations for the poll.
Adewoye stated that immediately the election was postponed all security agencies in the state met, and assured voters of adequate security, even as he disclosed that 3,460 officers already deployed would be retained, noting: "We are fully prepared. The postponement has given us more opportunity to fully prepare. It is the part of the process. We will recalculate the cost and go ahead. It is a task that must be done.”
An election observer, Mr. Gboyega Tokunbo, said judging by the situation on ground and the arrangement made so far, elections would be peaceful, noting that the ballot papers are secure and the poll will be violencefree, especially in Oyo State.