Tag: Local govt

The recent local government election in Ekiti State was marred by poor turnout of voters.  In this report, Odunayo Ogunmola examines the controversy surounding the election and factors responsible for the voter apathy.

The people of Ekiti State were aloof during the recent local government elections. They shunned the polling booths across the 16 councils.

Few days to the December 19 date, there was nothing on ground to show that an election was about to be conducted. There was no serious campaign by the parties.

The five parties on the ballot are: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the United Progressives Party (UPP), the Kowa Party, the African Peoples Alliance (APA) and the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPA).

Fayose went on air few days before the poll to appeal to the people of the state to come out and perform their civic responsibility of choosing their leaders at the grassroots level.

A major hurdle standing between the conduct of the poll was a suit filed by the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the composition of the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC).

The APC in the suit alleged that EKSIEC members are card-carrying  members of the PDP and associates of Fayose who could not be relied upon to conduct and deliver an election that is transparent, credible, free and fair.

The suit created anxiety in some quarters as the judgment was delivered on the Monday preceding the election. Justice Bamidele Omotoso dismissed the case for lacking merit holding that the plaintiffs failed to adduce evidence to prove that the state electoral agency are PDP members and Fayose’s associates.

Save the restriction of vehicular movement leading to streets bare of traffic, commercial and social activities, there was no life at majority of the 2,195 polling units across the state as eligible voters stayed away.

The poll recorded an unprecedented low turnout of voters in virtually all parts of the state as majority of the eligible electorate chose to stay at home while others went to their farms. Some other residents were seen drinking at beer joints.

Only the electoral officials, security officers and agents of the ruling PDP were present at all the polling units opened for voting at the election. The presence of only PDP agents at the election was contrary to the claim of EKSIEC that five parties are participating in the election.

Apart from the state capital Ikere, Ikole, Otun, Ido, Ifaki, Omuo, Ise, Igede, Aramoko, Okemesi, Ayetoro, Iworoko, Iyin, Efon and Ilawe, voter apathy was apparent.

Some presiding officers confirmed the low turnout of the electorate at their units with the polling officials and security agents idle.

The directive of EKSIEC that voting should commence at 1.00 pm after accreditation, expected to have taken place between 8.00 am and 12 noon was violated in many polling stations in the state capital where voting had commenced as early as 10.00 am.

In Ado  Ward 9, Unit 008 opposite Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), only 20 voters have been accredited out of 1,450 voters registered at the unit at about 11.30 pm.

At Unit 006, Ajitadidun Ward 9 in Ado, only 16 voters have been accredited and voted  out of 1,471 whose names appear on the register as at 11.41 am while 18 voters out 1,046 have been accredited and cast their votes as at 11.49 am.

At Unit 016 Ward 5 in Okeyinmi area in Ado, only 11 voters have accredited and voted out of 626 registered voters as at 11.17 am.

At Unit 007, Ward 4 in Ijigbo area of Ado, 105 persons have voted out of 581 accredited with the presiding officer, while in Unit 17 Ward 10 in Basiri, only 18 persons had voted out of 1, 046 accredited voters.

In Ikere, the second largest town in the state, virtually all polling stations were boycotted by voters

At  Agbado/Oyo Ward, Unit 003, only 35 were accredited out of 426 registered voters as at 10.10 am , while a total of 32 were accredited at unit 004 out of 405 in the same ward.

The same situation was witnessed at  Oke Iruku Ward  , unit 005,54 out of over 500 were accredited as  at 10.30am.

EKSIEC Chairman, retired Justice Kayode Bamisile, absolved his agency from blame over early voting recorded in many parts of Ado and absence of agents of the four other political parties cleared to participate at the poll.

Speaking on the poor turnout, Bamisile said: “It is very easy to take the horse to the river but you cannot force the horse to drink water”.

Bamisile explained that EKSIEC had written to the affected parties to forward their list of agents saying such agents are expected to be on the field to represent their parties.

Governor Ayo Fayose described the council poll as free, fair and credible contending that the turnout was ‘impressive.’

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose also commended voters for turning out to cast their votes.

He said: “The information we are getting have been impressive. The turnout was impressive. In some places, the turnout  were very impressive , while people came out late in some areas. But  the turnout has been impressive.

“I have been contacting those on the field what we are getting were quite impressive and I commend our people for that”.

In a statement issued later in the day, Fayose, said the conduct of the local government election by his administration is a promise kept.

He said he was glad that he was the first governor in the South-West geo-political zone to conduct local government election in the last few years.

The governor, who described the use of caretaker committees to run local government as an aberration, said the hallmark of a genuine democrat was allowing people to express their choice on who governs them.

“It is an electoral promise by my administration and we have fulfilled the promise. Today, we stand out as the state that has conducted local government election. We did not expect the unpopular APC to take part in the election.

“It is important that we do not usurp the rights of our people. Despite APC’s plan to use court to stop the election, the people came out to vote.

The APC people are afraid because they did not want to suffer huge electoral loss again. We won all seats in the general elections and we are winning all the 16 chairmanship and the 177 councillorship seats. The APC are not on ground and they have failed woefully in the state,” he said.

The governor added that to assist as many people as possible, the incoming councillors would use N20,000 out of their monthly salaries to empower two persons in their wards.

The APC in its reaction hailed voters for boycotting the local government poll saying “ the people behaved honourably for staying away from the election boycotted by all political parties except the PDP”.

In a statement by Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said the widespread apathy observed across the state was evidence that Ekiti people had rejected Governor Ayo Fayose and his PDP.

The party described the exercise as a mockery of democratic election, saying an election with a single party participating while also raising PDP members to pose as candidates of obscure parties would never pass the test of representative poll.

The party added that across the state, Ekiti people spoke with one voice by staying in their homes and watched from distance as PDP members engaged in multiple thumb-printing to give the impression that there was massive turn-out of voters.

“To cover their shame in most of the empty polling units, PDP members and Fayose’s political appointees engaged in multiple thumb-printing to give a false impression of a large turn-out of voters,” he explained.

Berating Fayose for holding the election despite pendency of the election case at the Court of Appeal, the party also accused the governor of wasting N300 million of taxpayers’ money on an election that would not stand the test of legality.

He said: “Fayose is playing games with Ekiti people by voting N300m of the state’s money to his party for his kangaroo election.

“We know that the money allocated for the exercise is more important to Fayose than the actual election because we know that more than half of the N300m will end up in private pocket.

“But we, are sure that just as PDP leaders at the national level are now accounting for the money they spent on President Goodluck Jonathan’s election, Fayose will also account for the N300 million taxpayers’ money he has just wasted for this illegal election.”

The party also frowned at the governor’s directive asking political appointees to be deployed as election observers as announced on state radio and television, saying the council election was a “contest between PDP and PDP”.

“The council election was a PDP affair with PDP contesting against itself. It is purely a contest between PDP and PDP.

“We sympathise with his so-called candidates who just wasted their time and money to participate in an illegal election that cannot stand the test of constitutionality and integrity.

“Just like what is happening to the states controlled by PDP over the last general elections, Fayose will have his days in courts where he will pay for all his constitutional infractions and financial misappropriation over illegal council poll,” Olatunbosun concluded.

The governorship candidate of the Accord Party in the last governorship poll, Kole Ajayi, has condemned the weekend local government election.

He said the poll was fraudulently organised by Fayose, who understood that the exercise was patently illegal, but still went ahead to conduct the poll after allegedly voting N300m, half of which would be misapplied for selfish reasons.

Ajayi also cautioned the governor over imposition of frivolous levies on poor market women already burdened by current economic woes that made it difficult to take care of their families.

The former governorship candidate listed tipper contractors, butchers and petty traders as the alleged victims of Fayose’s obnoxious tax policy.

Accusing the governor of imposing hardship on the common people in the name of revenue generation, the legal practitioner said “taxes are normal, but that it is always done with human face”.

He frowned at the desperate ways the governor is employing in raising revenue and called for caution “because the downtrodden masses are being unduly levied in an unprecedented manner in the history of Ekiti State with its attendant pains”.

He also faulted the re-introduction of school fees and WEAC fees, stating that all these were direct war against the masses already decimated economically “hence, they are helplessly and quietly crying for help”.

EKSIEC has declared the PDP winner of all the 16 chairmanship and 177 councillorship seats in the local government election held on Saturday.

EKSIEC chief Bamisile, who spoke after the results were declared said the polls were credible, transparent, free and fair.

He urged parties dissatisfied with the result of the election to ventilate their grievances at the Local Government Election Tribunal to be constituted in due course.

“There was no case of ballot snatching, violent conduct or hooliganism during the election,” he said.

The state secretary of EKSIEC, Mrs. Bolanle Awe, commended all stakeholders that worked together to ensure the success of the election.

The results declared by Bamisile areas follows: Ilejemeje LG:  APA 53, KP 103, PDP 6993, PPN 59, UPP 29. EFON LG:  APA 124 , KP 156, PDP 9661, PPN 151, UPP 60. Ise/OrunLG:  APA 40, KP 156, PDP 9661, PPN 151, UPP 60. Emure LG: PDP 14,853, Other political parties, NIL.

Others are Ado LG:  APA 440, KP 456, PDP 47,120, PPN 590, UPP 299. IKERE LG:  APA 167, KP 226, PDP 19,750, PPN 191, UPP 83. Gbonyin LG:  APA  248, KP 253, PPN 154, PDP 22,456. Ekiti East LG:  APA 151, PDP 17,373, PPN 134 (no candidate), UPP 72. Ikole LG: APA 218, KP 219, PDP 207, UPN 175. Ekiti West LG: APA 855, KP 191, PDP 17,815, PPN 163, UPN 79.

The rest are Moba LG: APA 187, KP 133, PDP 11,247, PPN 96, UPP 65.  Ijero LG: APA 247, KP 281, PDP 22,612, PPN 287, UPP 152. Oye LG: APA 128, KP 174, PDP 18,899, PPN 129, UPP 170. IDI/OSI LG: APA 94, KP 158, PDP 14,856, PPN 98, UPP 53. Irepodun/Ifelodun LG: APA 416, KP 477, PDP 32,298, PPN 397, UPP 259.

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Ekiti State attributed the low turnout to the alleged partisanship and shoddy preparations by EKSIEC.

The CNPP, in a statement by its Chairman, Tunji Ogunlola, said the state electoral agency failed to carry other parties along but was only dealing with the ruling PDP.

He said the refusal of the majority of the electorate to stay away from polling booths at the council poll was an indication that the people of the state lacks confidence in the ability of SIEC to organize a credible, free and fair poll.

Ogunlola said: SIEC displayed crass dishonesty in the preparations for the election. It had earlier made a public declaration that only PDP signified and certified to be the sole party for the election later changed that public statement that other political parties were participating.

“We marvel at this inconsistent and dishonest conduct by SIEC, which first declared PDP as the only party contesting the election only to later clone other four parties to make it five to give a semblance of credibility to a clear charade and fraud on the people of Ekiti State,” he said.

“It is not by coincidence that many polling units recorded zero vote as at 1pm. Even though it is only PDP members that participated, they still did not come out to vote for their candidates, a situation that confirms that ruling PDP has alienated many of its  own party members who daily complain of neglect.”

The Senator representing Ekiti North  District, Duro Faseyi, said the election was conducted in line with the best practices of electoral standard.

Addressing a briefing in his hometown, Iludun Ekiti in Ilejemeje Local Government Area barely 24 hours after the polls, Faseyi praised Fayose for exhibiting the courage to conduct the council poll for the first time in seven years in the state.

The Senator said: “But whichever way you view the conduct of the polls, Fayose deserves accolade. This will serve as a challenge to other governors who have been operating caretaker arrangement for like eight years”.

He reasoned that the conduct of the council poll and emergence of new chairmen and councillors would guarantee a level of independence for the third-tier of government in the state.

Faseyi, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Air Force, urged other governors who have not conducted council election in their states to emulate Fayose and allow democracy to flourish in the grassroots a d bring governance nearer to the people.

He criticised the main opposition party, the APC for boycotting the election saying the party was afraid of a repeat of defeats suffered since the 2014 governorship poll.

The new council chairmen were sworn in on Monday by Fayose who charged them to make the welfare of the people their priority and look for alternative ways to generate revenue.

Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, the Chairman of Gbonyin Local Government, Mrs Folashade Akinrinmola, thanked the governor, party leaders and people of the state for the opportunity given them to serve.

Other new chairmen are: Kazeem Ogunsakin (Ado), Bolaji Jeje (Efon), Adekunle Adeniyi (Ekiti East), Olanrewaju Omolase (Ekiti Southwest), Omotunde Kolawole (Ekiti West), Taiwo Oguntuase (Emure), Ayodele Arogbodo (Ido/Osi), Abiodun Dada (Ijero), Ola Alonge (Ikere), Yemi Adeyanju (Ikole), Oladapo Olagunju (Irepodun/Ifelodun), Olumide Falade (Ise/Orun), Adeniyi Adebayo (Moba) and Omotayo Ogundare (Oye).

With the way it turned out to be, the December 19 council election has thrown up questions begging for answers.

Was EKSIEC prepared for the election? Was the electoral body well mobilized with funds and needed logistics? How much was EKSIEC given and how much was spent? Did the electoral body carry all parties along? Did it carry out the needed public enlightenment and voter education? Are the figures declared by EKSIEC in consonance with the poor turnout of voters?

Have the electorate reaped dividends of democracy from the Fayose administration since it came to power on October 16, 2014? Did it meet the expectations of the masses? Are the people happy with some policies executed by the administration?

Between June 21, 2014 and December 19, 2015, a lot of water has passed under the bridge in Ekiti State and this reflected largely in the voter behavior witnessed at the LG poll.

But indications emerged less than 48 hours before the election that voter apathy would mar the poll.

A good number of eligible voters who spoke with The Nation said they won’t vote at the election because of the prevailing economic situation in the state.

Many civil servants, teachers, local government workers, artisans and market women who form the bulk of the voting population said voting at the council poll is not compulsory for them unlike last year’s governorship poll.

A civil servant, Paul Arowosafe, said many of them are still owed two-month arrears of salaries and “the morale is still low” hence lack of interest in the council poll.

“My brother, local government election is not a priority for me and my family now because there is no money in town and we are still being owed arrears of salaries.

“Although some workers received alerts on Wednesday (December 16)  for their October salaries, many of us are yet to receive alerts and you cannot tell a hungry person to go out and vote.”

Another civil servant who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “This local government election cannot be like the 2014 governorship election in which we sacrificed ourselves and endured many inconveniences to vote in the current government.

Fayose enjoyed a massive goodwill on assumption of office and expectations were high after being sworn in but a little over a year after coming to power, the goodwill is on the decline and this could be traced to some factors.

The factors include various category of taxes imposed on the people of the state some of which triggered public protests recently.

Hoteliers, market men and women, commercial motorcycle riders, private school owners, butchers, tipper owners, owners of small and medium scale businesses, just to mention a few are groaning under taxes slammed on them by the Fayose administration.

Other policies which have triggered discontent in the land include the demolition of Ado Ekiti Main Market which has displaced thousands of market women, N10,000 fine slammed on owners of vehicles parked in wrong places, scrapping of free education policy enjoyed under the previous government and abrogation of free WAEC fees of final year secondary school students among others.

Government workers and teachers are not happy with irregular payment of their salaries and non-payment of fringe benefits and they are not ready to listen to Fayose’s explanation that the problem could be traced to reduction of allocations from the Federal Government.