A carnival-like atmosphere enveloped Ila-Orangun, the headquarters of Ila Local Government Area of Osun State, during the recent governorship election. In this report, Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, who monitored the election in the ancient town captures his experiences in the field
A festive mood enveloped the ancient town of Ila-Orangun, the headquarters of the Ila Local Government Area of Osun State, the day before last Saturday’s governorship election.
This may not be unconnected with the large number of visitors on election duty that besieged the town. Policemen and women, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as those of the Department of State Services (DSS), could be seen everywhere, particularly in hotels and beer parlours in the town. Most hotels and guest houses were fully booked. Okada riders also enjoyed the boom, as they ferried passengers from one end of the town to the other. Even during the election, okada riders had a swell time, carrying passengers from one place to another and were virtually not molested by security operatives. The two major candidates in the election were incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Senator Ademola Adeleke. Thirteen other candidates also participated in the contest.
Ila-Orangun, otherwise known simply as Ila, was in a jubilant mood all through the period. As early as 7 a.m. on Election Day, gaily-dressed residents could be seen moving about on the streets. Many gathered in front of their houses, discussing. Others were already at their polling units, checking their names on to voters’ register posted on walls in various units, in readiness for the exercise to commence. Many of those who came out early were young people of both sexes. But, some senior citizens were also out early to cast their votes.
For instance, Usman Mudasiru, 74, was one of the senior citizens that queued early to vote at the polling unit where the founding National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande voted. Mudasiru was already in the queue by 7.30 a.m. He told the reporter that he came out early to vote because he is interested in the progress of Osun State.
The governorship election witnessed a large turnout of voters and the exercise commenced at about 8.30 a.m. in many polling units. Generally, it was adjudged free and fair by many observers and other stakeholders. What this reporter witnessed in Ila, suggests that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did a good job. The commission’s ad-hoc officials were at their duty posts well ahead of the commencement of voting at 8.00 am and conducted themselves admirably.
The police and other security agencies, including operatives of the NSCDC, as well as those of the DSS, were on the ground to ensure that everything went on in an orderly manner. They were at least four security operatives at each polling unit visited by the reporter and they did a nice job. There were security checkpoints on the road from Osogbo, the state capital, to Ila the previous day, when the reporter travelled to Ila, his duty post; passing through towns like Ikirun, Obaagun, Iree, Eripa and Otan-Ayegbaju.
Many young and old persons were determined to exercise their franchise during the election. For instance, a blind senior citizen, Tijani Ajide said he took the trouble to come and vote, despite his health challenges, because he is used to voting since the days of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. The indigene of Ila decried the nonchalant attitude of young people during elections nowadays. Ajide was assisted by one of his sons. The 74-year-old who spoke in Yoruba said: “As citizens, one of the ways we can contribute towards the development of our state and our country is by exercising our franchise during elections.
“I am not asking young people not to play football and engage in other social activities because that is one of the ways they maintain their body and socialize with their peers. But, my advice is that they should try to find time for everything, including reading their books and voting during elections.”
The people of Ila, it appeared, had made up their minds to participate actively in the election. They came out early and in their numbers to vote. The turnout exceeded 50 per cent in many polling units, particularly in places where elected or appointed officials of one of the major parties voted. In some units, voting proceeded very fast, while the process was slow in other units. For instance, when the reporter first visited Polling Unit 6, Ward 1, located in the Oke-Ejigbo area of the town at about 10.30 am, there was no queue and no single voter in sight; unlike many polling units in the town.
When he passed through the unit again at about noon and the situation was still the same, he assumed that it was a case of low turnout of voters for the unit. But, on an investigation, he discovered that 112 out of the 185 registered voters at the unit had already done their accreditation and voted at that time. The above figure translates to 60.5 per cent turnout, which is considerably high; going by percentages witnessed in past elections nationwide. Similarly, at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, Isedo I area where the House of Representative candidate of the PDP for Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Akanni Olohunwa voted, also witnessed a high turnout. The unit recorded over 65 per cent turnout.
From as early as 8 am, the queue at the polling unit where Pa Akande voted had already stretched across the open space at Ita-Atewogbade quarters. After addressing the prospective voters, the electoral officials commenced the business of the day. The Ila-born octogenarian and former interim national chairman came to the unit at about 9.30 a.m., promptly did his accreditation and voted at 9.40 am. He was assisted by his son, Oluwafemi Akande who is the Osun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. After casting his ballot, Pa Akande expressed satisfaction with the orderliness of the process at his polling unit. His words: “I am happy about the orderliness and the peaceful nature of the exercise for far.”
The revered Pa Akande eventually delivered his polling unit for the ruling APC, but the margin was slim. The APC scored 140 votes, while the main opposition party got 117 votes.
The attorney-general and commissioner for justice also gave kudos about the conduct of the election after he voted. His words: “The organisation is top-notch; the election so far is peaceful, coordinated and the process is fast. I am impressed with the process. So far, it is very peaceful. Compared to the turnout in past elections, we have seen a lot of improvements; we have seen a lot of awareness, and voters’ enlightenment and, as a result, the turnout today is impressive. The turnout in other parts of Ila, going by the polling units around my area, is also impressive. We can also see that it is peaceful, coordinated and that security agents are at their duty post, monitoring what is going on.”
Voting was extended till late in the evening at some polling units because of the large number of registered voters in those units. One of such is that of the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency. The reporter got to the unit at about 5.30 p.m. to discover that accreditation and voting were still in progress. It eventually ended at 5.48 pm. Sorting and later counting began at about 6 pm. The reporter had gone to the unit merely to observe the trend of the results of the election. There was a high turnout of voters at the unit, which has 887 registered voters. The place was rowdy. Scores of people were still in the queue, waiting for their turn to cast their ballot. Observers at the unit said the voting process commenced on schedule at about 8 a.m. and that everything had proceeded normally. Besides those in the queue, an enthusiastic crowd of supporters, numbering about a hundred occupied practically every space within the area to monitor the sorting and counting of ballot papers. They were supporters of the two major parties. They exhibited a mixture of anger, excitement and determination.
It is instructive to note that the PDP House of Representatives candidate delivered for his party at the unit with a wide margin. The PDP secured 378 votes, to the APC’s 199 in the unit which has 887 registered voters. Two other political parties: the New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP) and the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP), got one vote each. The above figures translate to about 65.3 per cent turnout, which is high, going by the turnout in previous elections in the country. What this boils down to is that the two major parties must have mobilised their supporters in the unit to come out and vote.
As witnessed in recent elections, vote-buying now appears to be part and parcel of elections in this clime. The business of vote-buying or vote-selling is not something conducted openly. Negotiations are usually done in advance and the modalities of the business are also agreed upon before voting day between the coordinators of the political parties in different localities and the voters. The recent Osun governorship election was not an exception.
But, as the reporter moved from one polling unit to the other, he occasionally overheard prospective voters discussing how much they were being offered by the different political parties. The okada operator who conveyed him round during the election also confirmed how much he was given, after he voted at his designated polling unit.
Why have Nigerians resorted to selling their votes? Many respondents attributed it to the high incidence of poverty in the country. They said politicians have found a way to corner the country’s resources for themselves and that the election period is an opportunity to share some of it with their constituents. “These politicians are stinkingly rich; let the money go round,” one of such respondents added.
Another respondent confided in this reporter that it is not just about money and that whether he was given money to vote for the PDP or not, he would vote for the party. He also said his insistence on voting for the PDP candidate is based on the belief that he won the election four years ago before he later lost at the last supplementary election that followed. There were also cases of voters who collected money to vote for some candidates but voted for the candidate of their choice thereafter.
The growing incidence of vote-buying is likely to be a major issue in the next year’s general elections, despite the steps being taken by the INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the police and civil society groups to curb it.
A spontaneous celebration greeted the town when it became evident that the candidate of the PDP was leading, based on the results that had trickled in from various parts of the local government and beyond at the time. It was as if there was no single APC supporter in the town, as the whole town practically erupted in wild jubilation.
As it happened in Ekiti, it is apparent that the use of technology aided the conduct of the election. Before Nigerians woke up on Sunday morning, they already knew who the winner of the election is likely to be. This is even though Osun State has 30 local governments, unlike Ekiti which has only 16.