With the All Progressives Congress,
APC now in full control of the
federal government
and the 8th
National Assembly due for
inauguration on May 29 and June 4
respectively, the final battle for the
control of the 36 states government
houses and assemblies by the two
dominant parties; the APC and the
PDP is set for today.
From reports across the country,
INEC, security agencies and the
electorate appear set for the polls.
Borno State
From Maiduguri, TIMOTHY OLANRE
WAJU reports that the Independent
National Electoral Commission
(INEC) in Borno is set for today’s
governorship and House of As
sembly elections in the state.
INEC Resident Electoral (REC) in the
state, Mr Samuel Madaki told
journalists in Maiduguri that the
office has received both sensitive
and non-sensitive materials,
adding that the non-sensitive
materials have been distributed to
all local government areas con
sidered to be safe for elections to
take place. He said other sensitive
materials would reach polling areas
by yesterday (Friday.)
He said the his officials reviewed
their operations shortly after the
last presidential poll. “After the
presidential election, we invited all
electoral officers to review our
performances and I believe we will
come out better in today’s
election,” the REC assured.
Though no new security
arrangement is noticed in
Maiduguri as at the time of filing
this report but a military source
told Saturday Sun that some
troops were being redeployed to
other parts of the state to boost the
personnel on ground for improved
security particularly during today’s
election.
Politicians were also seen putting
finishing touches to their
campaigns on Thursday afternoon
ahead of today’s poll. Incumbent
Gov Kashim Shettima of the APC
who is seeking re-election into the
Maiduguri Government House and
his challenger, Alhaji Gambo Lawan
of the PDP held series of meetings,
mobilisation and engagements with
various organised groups and
supporters throughout the week.
Most residents expressed their
readiness to participate in today’s
poll even as some complained they
may boycott it due to the harsh
weather condition. “I don’t think I
will vote. I can’t stress myself
queuing in the sun with the
weather now,” says Aliyu Birma, a
civil servant.
But Mohammed Lawan, a trader
said he was ready to vote, boasting
that nothing would stop him from
exercising his civic right. “It’s the
end of the voting and nothing can
stop me, not even the bad weather.
Thank God for gradual return of
peace now,” he said.
Rivers State
TONY JOHN reports from Port
Harcourt that the governorship and
House of Assembly elections are
going to be fight-to-finish between
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
and the All Progressives Congress
(APC). This is so because, the APC,
which has secured leadership at
the centre, would like to prove PDP
wrong on the 1.4 million votes
polled at the last presidential
election. Similarly, the PDP would
not allow the effect of the defeat of
President Goodluck Jonathan at
the last poll, to undermine their
avowal to clinch victory today.
Though, there are other political
parties like Labour Party, Social
Democratic Party and All
Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)
in the state, the foremost two, PDP
and APC are neck-to-neck in the
contest. They have vowed to clinch
victory over each other.
The two major political parties have
also been accusing each other of
plotting to rig the election. Even, at
the stakeholders’ meeting on
Wednesday, convened by security
agencies with the two prominent
gubernatorial candidates, Chief
Nyesom Wike (PDP) and Dr. Dakuku
Peterside, (APC), with party leaders,
Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the
National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC) in attendance, at the state
Police Headquarters along Moscow
Road, Port Harcourt, the two
political gladiators, still, tackled
each other on alleged plot to rig.
Since the March 28 presidential
election, the state governor
Chibuike Amaechi, members and
supporters of APC have been
calling for the removal of the State
INEC Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC), Dame Gesila
Khan. They have not hidden their
disaffection for the REC, even
leading to staging a protest in
Abuja, calling for her removal.
Meanwhile, PDP, in reaction to the
protest in Abuja, said it was a
calculated attempt by APC to
scuttle the today’s election. It also
maintained that APC was not happy
because the REC failed to do their
bidding, having failed in their
alleged numerous attempts to
persuade the INEC boss in the state
to write election results in favour of
the APC.
The APC recently claimed that it
has lost 56 members in the state as
a result of political violence.
Consequently, Governor Amaechi
has said he would establish a
Judicial Commission of Enquiry on
presidential election deaths. In fact,
after the polls, political killings still
occurred, with the assassination of
a former local government
chairman, his daughter, two sons
and five other persons, by yet-to-
be-identified gunmen.
All these instances have created
much fear in the electorate who
have stated that without adequate
security put in place, they would
not risk their lives in today’s
elections.
As such, during the stakeholders’
meeting, the Commissioner of
Police on election duty in Rivers
State, Hosea Karma, stated that
“massive” armed security men
would be deployed to contain any
unholy challenge from political
thugs.
His words “I want to assure each
and everyone here that, we the
security agencies, have agreed as a
body, that we are going to be non-
partial and create a level playing
ground for everyone that is going
to play role in this exercise. In
order to achieve that, we are going
to have massive deployment of se
curity men. Security men given to
individuals when they were
campaigning have been withdrawn.
“The movement of personnel and
entire people of the state are going
to be restricted. That restriction, we
have no respect for anybody’s
position. As from 12 midnight
Friday, our men will be properly
deployed to restrict everybody’s
movement, except persons going
to vote.
“For those who are privileged to
have security men attached to them
and are yet to be withdrawn, I will
advise them that, that day, their
security men should pull off their
uniforms and remain at home
because, even if you are genuine
policemen or military or any of the
security agencies, if you are not on
duty you must not escort anybody
because you will be arrested. Any
of our personnel that tries that will
put his job on the line and I want to
warn them that the moment they
cease to be military personnel, I am
sure nobody will need their service
again. Based on that we have
decided to withdraw security men
given to individuals for security
before this time when they were
campaigning.
“Killing is killing, if you kill
somebody it is murder. One thing I
will remind us all here is that all
the incidents that have taken place
where lives are lost and properties
damaged, they will not go free and
one thing I want to remind all of us
here today is that only two people
will have immunity – any person
that will win the governorship and
his deputy, the rest of us here are
subject to arrest and prosecution if
we allow ourselves to be lured into
criminality.
