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CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday declared that the result of Saturday’s Ondo State governorship election would be announced in 12 hours.
Jega, who disclosed this at a forum with political parties and their governorship candidates, assured that all the votes cast in the October 20 governorship election would count.
Jega said Saturday’s election would be a benchmark for other elections in the country, saying all apparatus have been put in place to ensure the success of the election.
The INEC Chairman said the elections would be a tremendous improvement on the one held in Edo State on July 14. According to him, 18 Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) from states outside the South-West would serve as Electoral Officers across the council areas.
He, however, ordered the removal of governorship posters in public places designated for the election within the next 48 hours.
The Chairman said that the election would be free, fair and credible and that the electoral body will create an enabling atmosphere for all political parties without any bias.
He pleaded with all the political parties to come into the election with appropriate moral ethics to ensure full compliance with the electoral process.
Jega said the commission has done its best in discharging its responsibilities as electoral system is concerned and has improved on the country’s electoral process.
He pointed out that the commission is, however, not perfect but has been able to improve on the challenges it faced in previous elections, especially that of Edo State.
His words: “We are committed to conducting the best election in Ondo State come October 20 and we want to assure all that we are ready to put in all the professionalism and integrity that is required”.
Jega said that the commission would, however, not succumb to spurious allegations but added that all allegations will be investigated.
He said that the commission had investigated all observers it had accredited for the election so far and will not remove any of them without any evidence of being partisan.
According to him “we will not change our decision on the accredited observers unless we have concrete evidence against any of them”.
Jega assured the contestants that a level-playing ground would be provided without being partisan, saying “we must show that we can also get it right in Nigeria too”.
He called on all the stakeholders and the people of the state to join hands with the commission in the election by providing an enabling and peaceful atmosphere to get the best result from the election.
He appealed to the people to be patient at the poll, be well behaved and vigilant, urging them to comply with the electoral rules while the restriction of movement should be strictly adhered to.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed D. Abubakar, disclosed the readiness of the men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies in providing security and safety during voting.
Abubakar said police and military men have been deployed to the state all in preparation towards the election.
He said the people should not see the presence of the security agents as a threat or a way to molest anybody but to ensure credible election.
The IGP informed that five units of mobile police would be deployed to each of the three senatorial districts to combat any challenges that may arise during the election.
Abubakar said further that about 10 mobile units will also be on standby in each of the 18 local governments while one unit will be moving round the local government area.
He said three security officials which may include Police, Immigration, Customs and Civil Defence will be stationed at each polling unit while State Security Service (SSS) personnel will continue to do their normal underground work.
He reiterated that movement will be restricted during the election while security operatives will be available on all routes leading to the state to restrict movement of people
His words: “Movement will be restricted from the hour of 6 p.m. on Thursday to 5 a.m. on Friday, while movement will also be restricted from 6 p.m. on Friday to 8p.m. on Saturday.”
He said military men will be on stand by for any eventuality, saying: “we are ready and willing to see that this election is free, fair and peaceful”
Also speaking on the restrict, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, said: “While expressing his regrets over the inconveniences that road users and the general public may suffer as a result of this restriction, the IGP appeals for the understanding and cooperation of the entire citizenry, as the restriction is essentially to ensure the effective security of citizens, election officials and materials. It is a strategy to curtail the influx and movement of undesirable and criminal elements in and out of the state before and during the election.
“The IGP assures that adequate security logistics and manpower have been strategically deployed to achieve a most conducive electioneering atmosphere. In this regard, policemen for election duty have been properly trained, briefed and sensitised on their roles as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
They are expected to be professional, non partisan, civil but firm in their approach and relation to the public; and to strictly observe Force Order 237 on the use of firearms to ensure that inalienable rights of the citizens are not trampled upon.
“The IGP uses this medium to advise politicians to play by the rules. Consequently, politicians, political office holders and all Very Important Personalities, who are not directly involved in the conduct of the election, are expected to peacefully cast their votes and return to their homes. On no account must they be involved in monitoring of election, as the police will enforce to the letter, all laws relating to the elections and law breakers appropriately dealt with in accordance with the law of the land.
“The citizens of Ondo State are enjoined to come out enmasse to exercise their civic right, as the police, assisted by other security agencies, have mapped out plans to ensure that persons who are out to cast their votes, do so without fear of molestation from any quarter.
They are advised to shun violence and all forms of thuggery. IGP further advised parents to keep close watch on their children and wards in order not to allow them to be used by unscrupulous politicians for criminal purposes, as the full weight of the law will take its course on anyone apprehended.
“Finally, citizens are enjoined to remain vigilant and report all suspicious movements or dealings to appropriate police authority”.
In a related development, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has deployed workers to Ondo State to monitor the activities of policemen on election duties.
PSC Chief Information Officer, Ferdinand U. Ekpe, in a statement said: “The Police Service Commission in continuation of its resolve to ensure that police officers on election duties adhere strictly to the rules and regulations governing the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria will be deploying its staff to monitor the conduct of police officers during the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial election scheduled for 20th October, 2012.
“Members of the public are advised to channel their complaints on any act of misconduct or act of gallantry by police officers during the election”.
In Akure, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Ondo State yesterday threw its support behind the second term ambition of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Labour Party (LP).
The amalgam of the political parties predicated its decision on what they termed as impressive performance of Mimiko in office in the past three and a half years.
As parts of their resolve, the CNPP Chairman, Prince Ayo Isijola, said over 17 political parties decided not to field candidate against the incumbent who is seeking reelection.
Among the 13 governorship candidates contesting the election, Isijola said Mimiko was chosen because he possesses the best progressive credentials among the rest.
His words: “In June 2012, CNPP in Ondo State came up with a conclusion to identify the best leadership candidate for the October 20, 2012 election for the adoption as CNPP’s consensus candidate in the forthcoming election.
“The notable and abiding progressive features of Dr Mimiko’s caring heart administration convince CNPP of the need for her continued patriotic support for Dr Olusegun Mimiko, with a view to assisting to sustain a stable polity and granting an enablement for good governance.”
Isijola said the search for best candidates took them across party boundaries, yet the result favoured Mimiko, saying the results of the search showed they did not regret the earlier decision to support him in 2007.
He said the organisation would move out to debunk all the negative lies being told and false stories being told about the credentials of the LP candidate.
Isijola added that the political parties in the organisation had deployed their members for a house-to house campaign to mobilise votes for Mimiko.
Also, the Professor Olu Agbi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has restated its support for Mimiko.
Some members of the group, led by Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Greece, Prof. Olu Agbi include former member of the House of Assembly, Prince Demola Adegoroye, Chief Segun Adegoke and the factional chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Akin Olowokere, and Mr Kunle Agunbiade.
Others are former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Yemi Alao and Dr Tayo Fawehinmi.
Speaking in Akure yesterday, Agbi said the group decided to support Mimiko’s candidature because of his achievements as the state’s administrator in the last three and a half years.
The PDP leader said Mimiko was the most qualified for the position.
Agbi said: “Out of the three frontrunners in the race, Mimiko is in our considered opinion, better endowed than others in terms of the requisite maturity, sagacity, political experience, mental alertness and preparedness for the high demands of the office of Governor of Ondo State”
Appealing to members of the group and the general public to vote overwhelmingly for the Labour Party flagbearer for another four years, Agbi said: “It is imperative to make it abundantly clear that we have not joined the Labour Party and we have no intention to do so” rather, the former envoy said “our action is motivated by our love for Ondo State and good governance rather than pecuniary inducement”
The group had earlier expelled members of the state’s executive, describing it as illegal.
The Ebenezer Alabi-led executive was pronounced sacked at a press conference, following what was described as anti-party activities.
The Alabi-led Executive was also accused of collecting money from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to destabilise the state.
According to Agbi, the organisational structure of the PDP has become destabilised since the Court of Appeal judgement of February 23, 2009.
“Therefore, the party lost all bye elections between 2009 and 2011. The total loss helped to expose the rot in the party to the outside world. Efforts to promote reconciliation amongst leaders were resisted by Agagu and his cohorts.
“Therefore, we are informing the members of the public that the Ebenezer Tayo Alabi-exco is not only illegal, but he exists in contempt of a court order that has not been set aside”.
The Alliance for Democracy (AD) also endorsed Mimiko. The AD specifically described Mimiko as the only candidate of the progressives.
The party, in a statement yesterday by its National Secretary, Mr Rafiu Salau, said: “He (Mimiko) is the only candidate of the progressives. His performance has shown that he is implementing programme that is for the masses. He has a leadership capacity recognised in the political class. When he was in PDP, he was made the Minister. When he joined the Labour Party, he was given the governorship platform and Ondo people gave him their mandate.
“When he had the mandate of the Ondo people but was denied by the ruling party, Senator Tinubu, one of the respected progressive leaders, recently said he spent a lot and supported him to get back the mandate.
“The appointment and support in the political class show his capacity and confidence every party has in him. He is the candidate that every party wants to give a platform, but he can only use one. AD is looking beyond the political party level. To endorse him as the best candidate, the leaders of AD consider the interest of the people of Ondo and his performance,” Salau said.
Meanwhile, the ACN and Women Arise yesterday continued their unlimited war over the election.
The ACN called on INEC to speak out urgently on the decision by the commission’s Election Monitoring and Observation Unit to register glaringly-partisan groups as
observers for the election.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said if INEC fails to speak out on the issue, it means it is not serious about organising a free, fair and credible election on Saturday.
It said the general perception out there is that, at least, two of the groups that have been accredited to monitor the election, Women Arise and Rights Monitoring Group (RMG), are partisan and should not have been accredited to observe the election.
ACN reiterated its earlier statement that the fact that the President of Women Arise, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, is the wife of Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who has publicly stated his support for Mimiko, has raised the red flag over the group’s neutrality – a pre-requisite for any group observing an election.
Also, the party said the fact that Femi Aduwo of the RMG is a known supporter of Mimiko should automatically rule the group out of being accredited as an observer for the poll. To date, Aduwo has yet to deny being a supporter of Dr. Mimiko, or that his group has been inexplicably issued with 1,500 tags instead of the 100 given to other groups, with the alleged plan to give some of the tags to LP thugs on Saturday.
”The issues we have raised are key to the success or otherwise of the election, and none of the groups has faulted us. Women Arise, whose President has reacted to our statement, has only engaged in personal attacks than substance. The group has not told Nigerians how it can be expected to be neutral despite the marital links of its President to an acknowledged supporter of one of the contestants,” it said.
ACN said that apart from the virulent attacks mounted by Dr. Okei-Odumakin, it is obvious that Women Arise is not a respectable, neutral and all-embracing group that it has made itself out to be. No self-respecting women’s group will denigrate women, whether or not they are in purdah or ”eleha” as the group said. No group that calls itself an ”independent organisation with a board made up of eminent Nigerians and thousands of members across the country” will cast aspersion on the religion of many of its members. Or does Women Arise not represent the interest of Muslim women?
”If it does, how can it so impugn on their religion and self-dignity by casting aspersion on them? Does Dr. Okei-Odumakin not realise that being in purdah does not mean a woman is not well educated or cannot hold her own anywhere? The truth is that unless and until high-stake issues like this come to the fore, one does not realise that some of those looming so large in the public space are not who they are made out to be.
”Apart from its glaring partisanship, it is now clear that a group like Women Arise, which can so openly discriminate against some women on the basis of their religion or practices related to it, is not fit to observe an election in which such women will also be voters,” the party said.
But Dr. Okei-Odumakin replied him immediately. She said in a statement: “Women Arise is sounding an alert to all security agencies and the general public of a plot by Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his party to unleash violence against members of the group during Saturday polls in Ondo. Our highly informed source told us that thugs have been instructed to attack our members in different local governments in the state and advised that we should withdraw from the exercise.
“We insist that would amount to succumbing to blackmail and intimidation by enemies of the open society. Though we do not underestimate the capacity for evil by the forces Lai Mohammed represents, we shall not bow to their threats as we believe in the supremacy of law and order.
“We, therefore, call on all security agencies to be on the alert and do their job of securing of lives of law abiding citizens .
We shall hold Lai Mohammed and his party responsible if anything happens to any of our members.
“Lastly, we debunk the incitement of hate being peddled by Lai Mohammed that Women Arise is anti-islam. Our organisation is made up of people from different faiths and as such the reference to Lai Mohammed’s disposition that women should be kept under veil, is a metaphoric expression for his view that a woman cannot have an independent opinion.
His sexist and patriarchal view should not be accepted by women of Nigeria.”
