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  • Lagos council polls: APC, PDP renew rivalry

    Lagos council polls: APC, PDP renew rivalry

    Lagosians will go to the polls in July to elect council chairmen and councillors who will manage the affairs of the local governments for the next three years. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN looks at the chances of the political parties in the contest.

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has fixed local government elections for July 22. The announcement has put paid to the speculation that the government is not willing to conduct elections to fill the vacant positions in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), which were dissolved in November 2014.

    Before the release of the election time-table, only two political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demonstrated their readiness for the polls, through subtle campaigns in different localities. It was like other parties had gone under. Analysts recalled that during the 2015 general elections, no fewer than 14 political parties participated in the state. The question is: where are the smaller parties?

    There is no indication that the following parties are preparing for the election: the Action Alliance (AA); the Alliance for Democracy (AD); the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); the African Democratic Congress (ADC); the African Peoples’ Alliance (APA); the Citizens Popular Party (CPP); the Hope Party; the Kowa Party; the National Conscience Party (NCP); the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN); the United Democratic Party (UDP); and the United Progressive Party (UPP). They all fielded candidates for national and state elective offices in 2015. Why are they not showing interest in an election that is very close to the grassroots?

    Observers believe the election will be a straight fight between the ruling APC and the main opposition party, the PDP. The party had promised to use the council election to consolidate its political gain in the last general elections in which it won seven House of Representatives seats and seven House of Assembly seats. Its Chairman, Hon. Moshood Salvador, had boasted that his party would not only make a good impact in the election, but also to utilise the opportunity to chase the APC away from Alausa, the seat of power in Lagos State.

    The PDP chieftain claimed that the performance of the party during the last general elections was not a fluke.  He said: “We worked hard to win elections in areas where we won. Our candidates won on merit; we prevailed and convinced the electorate on the programmes of our party and the integrity of our candidates. Our performance had nothing to do with the money spent by former President Goodluck Jonathan, as some mischief makers have been saying. It is wrong for the APC to conclude that the alleged millions of dollars Jonathan brought to Lagos were responsible for our impressive performance.

    “The people of Lagos State are tired of the APC and they decided to have a change by voting for PDP candidates. We are going to use the same strategy for the local council election. We have started mobilising from house-to-house, to create awareness about the importance of the election.”

    But, with the recent developments in Lagos politics, the statement credited to Salvador may not stand the test of time. Analysts say the PDP has suffered a major setback that may have altered the equation and, so, it may not be able to give the APC a good run for its money. Such analysts say the defection of six out the seven PDP members in the state House of Assembly to APC amounts to a big blow, which has destabilised the party’s preparation for the July 22 contest.

    Lagos-based lawyer and public affairs analyst, Mr Monday Ubani has ruled out any impressive showing by the PDP in the coming polls. He said the PDP is almost dead, particularly in Lagos State. With the sterling performance of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, he is of the view that the PDP has no chance.

    Ubani doubts if the party will win a single chairmanship seat, because Governor Ambode’s performance in the last two years has made the APC more popular in the state. The ruling party has given a good account of itself, by fulfilling its promises to the electorates. The lawyer said: “Akinwunmi Ambode has endeared the APC to people who do not belong to the party; there is no part of Lagos that is not feeling the impact of Ambode’s administration.”

    Ubani said the antecedents of the PDP are working against it. His words: “Nigerians would never entrust the PDP with power; for 16 years, the party looted the treasury; mismanaged the economy and impoverished the people.”

    A political activist, Mr Tola Sawyer, puts it this way: “The two-year old administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has changed the face of Lagos. Developmental projects like road rehabilitation, drainages, fly-overs, street lightening cut across the state. He doesn’t discriminate against people who voted against him in 2015. In fact, Ambode has made Lagos residents to forget what party they belong, because of his performance.

    “There is no opposition for the APC in the coming local council poll. What will the PDP use to campaign? Is it looting of the treasury for 16 years that has impoverished Nigerians? The PDP has no chance in Lagos. The few seats won in 2015 general elections were as a result of Jonathan’s resort to bribe people with dollars. That will never work again in Lagos.”

    Sawyer advised the party leaders not to waste their time coming out to campaign, “because the party has incurred the wrath of the populace with the on-going revelations on how it looted the nation’s treasury. Nigerians are no fools. They know the party that has the interest of the common people at heart”.

    The PDP in Lagos State is polarised. What is happening at the national level is affecting the state chapter. There are three factions, namely: the Segun Adewale group, which is affiliated to Ali Modu Sheriff faction; the Bode George faction, which is loyal to the Makarfi group; and the Jimi Agbaje faction, which appears to be independent.

    With the division in the party, the questions being asked by observers are: Which faction would lead the PDP campaign? Which faction will present chairmanship and councillorship candidates? Which of the groups will LASIEC recognise? These are the issues that must be settled if the PDP must go into the election as a united party. Based on the reality on ground, Adewale seems to be the authentic chairman, because the Appeal Court has declared Sheriff as the PDP National Chairman.

    Adewale is not comfortable with the happenings within the fold, as he admitted that the party is in disarray. He admitted that he is a factional chairman, because the Lagos PDP has been factionalised into groups. He said: “There are so many factions; we have the Jimi Agbaje faction which does not have followership; we have the Bode George group and others. The various court cases raging at the national level are having ripple effects on the party.

    The PDP chieftain said: “I must say that the Lagos PDP under Moshood Salvador is not really ready to move forward. They are aware that some of us have a track record of political success. The truth is that it is the Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff camp that has been winning elections in the state. For instance, in 2015, I won four House of Representatives and six House of Assembly seats for the PDP.

    “We have Baba Kola Balogun with us; he won election in his polling booth, his ward and his local government. He equally delivered the neighbouring local governments. He delivered all the Badagry division.

    “But, the Senator Ahmed Makarfi camp headed by Bode George has not performed. He lost his polling booth, his ward and his local government. He lost everything that has to do with his senatorial district. I won seven local governments; the result is there for anybody to see.”

    Salvador disagreed with Adewale’s position on George’s electoral value. He recalled that when he was National Vice Chairman of the party (Southwest) that it defeated the Alliance for Democracy (AD) at the governorship election in five states. It was through the political sagacity of Senator Bola Tinubu that the APC was able to get some states back.

    He said: “George is there because he happens to be the highest party official in Lagos State. Therefore, he is the leader of the party. He is a Board of Trustees (BoT) member; this position elevates him above every other person and we must queue behind him.”

    On the PDP’s preparation for the poll, its spokesman, Mr Taofik Gani, said the party has been getting ready for the contest for some time and is battle-ready to face the ruling party. He said the council poll was supposed to hold during the tenure of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, but was delayed for reasons known to the leadership of the APC.

    He said the party is not demoralised by the defection of its members in the House of Assembly. “We are ready for the poll; we have been mobilising for the election,” he said.

    The APC Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, said his party is ever ready for the council election. He said: “We are prepared even if election is to hold tomorrow. Even though the APC is the ruling party, we are not relenting; we are still making efforts to consolidate on our popularity and acceptability by the good people of Lagos State.”

    Ajomale said it would be naive of the PDP to base its popularity on the few assembly seats it won in the last general elections. He added: “We knew what played out in that election. Former President Goodluck Jonathan relocated to Lagos in the build-up to the general elections. He abandoned Abuja, the seat of government, just because he wanted to win Lagos. I understand he came with about $700 million to prosecute election in Lagos.

    “Besides, Ifeanyi Ubah, a benefactor of the Jonathan administration bankrolled the party’s campaign expenses in Lagos. We are waiting to see if Jonathan and Ubah would still provide the financial warchest to Lagos PDP, as they did in the last general elections. I think it is wishful thinking for the PDP to say that the party is popular enough to win the forthcoming council poll. The APC will put them where they rightly belong.”

    Similarly, the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Abiodun Salami, is very optimistic that the party would win the election hands down. He said the APC’s victory is not negotiable, because it is a grassroots party.

    The image maker added: “As a party, we are prepared. We have been mobilising our people for the election. We are preparing like the Boys’ Scouts to win the election genuinely in Lagos, as we have always done.”

    A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Akin Ogunlana, has predicted that the election will be a walk-over for the APC. He said a lot of things are working in favour of the party. He said: “It is the only party on ground in the state; it is stable and winning more members every day.

    “As the ruling party, the incumbency factor is an added advantage. Above all Governor Ambode’s performance has won the council poll for the APC. Ambode has raised the bar of governance in Lagos. He has within two years turned Lagos around. But, the party must handle its primary with extra care to avoid protest vote.

    “The PDP is a divided house. The party can’t resolve its self-inflicted crisis between now and when the election would hold. How can they compete and win? The few House of Assembly seats won in 2015 was ephemeral. To me, there is no formidable opposition party to withstand the APC in Lagos State.”

     

  • Edo polls: APC begins defence

    Edo polls: APC begins defence

    The All Progressive Congress has opened its defence in the ongoing hearing of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

    Pastor Ize-Iyamu is asking the tribunal to declare him winner of the September 28, governorship election over alleged non-accreditation of voters and over voting.

    The APC which is the third respondent in the suit opened its defence after Governor Godwin Obaseki closed his defence by calling 68 witnesses.

    Witnesses called by the APC insisted that they were not trained by the Independent National Electoral Commission but by their party.

    The witnesses that testified included Mr. Charles Adenomon, Diamond Ogieriakhi, Ugeleri Sunday, Emmanuel Omoregbee, Hon Osadolor Gilbert and Samuel Omoruyi, all from Ikpoba/,Okha and Ovia South West local governments respectively.

    During cross examination , the witnesses said no voted without accreditation.

    Diamond Ogieriakhi said he saw INEC officials ticked the voter register in his unit during voting and accreditation which he said was done simultaneously.

  • Confusion as court stops Oyo council polls

    Confusion as court stops Oyo council polls

    There was confusion among parties in Oyo State at the weekend, following a court ruling restraining the State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) from conducting the February 11 local government election.

    Though details were sketchy, it was gathered that a federal high court in Abuja on Friday granted the prayer of a team of baales (village heads), who sued the commission.

    The electoral umpire had slated election into the 33 local governments and 35 Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) for February 11.

    But some baales in Oyo West, Atiba and Oyo East local governments sought an order restraining the commission from conducting the planned election pending the determination of the case.

    It was learnt that they are angry that delineation of the LCDAs ceded away part of their domains.

    was learnt that parts of their domains were ceded to Afijio.

    A source said the baales simply wanted the issue resolved before any election holds in the LCDAs.

    The order, it was learnt, was granted towards closing hour on Friday, making it difficult for the information to be officially circulated.

    The development has caused commotion among major parties and their candidates, who were finalising preparations for the election.

    Accord Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) revealed that their candidates have emerged; the All Progressives Congress (APC) slated its  primary for tomorrow.

    The council poll is coming 10 years after the last exercise was conducted during the tenure of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja in 2007.

    Reacting yesterday, SDP State Publicity Secretary Akeem Azeez said: “It is quite unfortunate that an opportunity to expose rejection of the APC-led government in the state has been postponed.

    “Without doubt, APC-appointed OYSIEC has shown enough reasons to doubt its capacity and sincerity to conduct credible local government election in Oyo State.”

    APC spokesman Wale Sadare was not available for comments.

    His OYSIEC counterpart, Cosmas Nnadi, was also not available for comments.

  • INEC planning for 2019 polls, says Yakubu

    INEC planning for 2019 polls, says Yakubu

    •’We ‘ll not relent in prosecuting electoral offenders’

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has spoken on the commission’s preparation for 2019 poll, saying the mistakes of the past elections will not be repeated.

    Acknowledging that election is a collective enterprise involving the cooperation of stakeholders, he said the strict electoral duties that fall within with purview of the agency will be discharged with utmost responsibility.

    Yakubu warned against electoral malpractices, reminding unscrupulous agency officials and other Nigerians that culprits will be brought to book.

    He said 120 electoral offences have been prosecuted while 61offenders have been convicted.

    Reflecting on the controversial legislative rerun in Rivers State, Yakubu said the commission had ordered an “administrative review” of the exercise in a bid to prevent its reoccurrence.

    He said plans were underway to conduct a credible governorship election in Anambra State later in the year, stressing that past pitfalls will be avoided.

    The INEC boss spoke at the opening ceremony of the commission’s ‘Strategic Retreat’ in Lagos. It was attended by electoral officers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The retreat was organisaed in collaboration with the United States International Development (USIA) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

    Yakubu was accompanied by INEC National Commissioners, including Prince Deji Soyebi, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, Air Vice Marshall Ahmed Tijani Muazu, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, and Hajia Amina Zakari.

    Experts who shared their experience with the electoral officers included Prof. Bolade Eyinla, Technical Adviser to Yakubu, Prof. M.J. Kuna, Prof. Sam Egwu, Prof. Adele Jinadu, Dr. Lawal Ismaila and Prof. Abubakar Momoh.

    Yakubu reflected on past elections, saying that Nigerians expect a better performance in 2019. He said future elections conducted by the agency must past the test of transparency, integrity, credibility and impartiality.

    He added: ‘Our task is to conduct elections that will be acceptable to Nigerians. Before the election, people expect the commission to plan ahead for a hitch free exercise, in terms of voter’s card availability, proximity of polling units to voters, and building of confidence that the votes will count.

    “On the election day, people expect the polling officers and materials to arrive early. People want peaceful poll, functional equipment. Polling units must open at 8 am. Materials and personnel must be available. There are other areas beyond the INEC; security and peaceful environment. A successful election dies not come by fluke. It is a product of planning.”

    Eyinla, who explained the retreat objectives and expectations, described elections as “the indispensable root of democracy.”

    He added: “For elections to have integrity, it must be conducted by the Election Management Board (EMB) with full independence of action in a professional, non-partisan and transparent manner. This requires professional EMB composed of persons whose credibility, neutrality and fairness are generally accepted.”

    IFES Country Director Shalva Kipshidze lauded the INEC for planning ahead of 2019 polls, stressing that planning will provide a sense of direction and highlight measurable goals.

    Noting that Nigeria has taken a great leap it its democratic process with the 2015 elections and successful governorship polls in Edo and Ondo states, he said there is a greater expectation about the 2019 elections by the citizens and the international community.

    Kipshidze added: “The review of the 2012-2016 strategic plan is pivotal as it will provide the right platform for INEC to consolidate the gains made and further continue to improve on the democratic process through critical, concise, constructive analysis and assessment to assist in strengthening subsequent strategic plan.”

  • Towards peaceful polls in Rivers

    Towards peaceful polls in Rivers

    •All eyes are on Rivers State ahead of tomorrow’s elections

    Tomorrow, the Rivers State electorate will vote to fill three senatorial seats, eight in the House of Representatives and 10 in the House of Assembly. Against the background of tension in the state, about 20,000 personnel, 20 gunboats and three helicopters have been deployed by the Police to the combustible state. The electoral commission also has mobilised 10,294 staff for the crucial election.

    On two previous occasions, owing to political rascality and allegations of collusion by the electoral and security officials, it was impossible to come up with acceptable results. The last legislative election in March saw a number of polling officials and innocent citizens needlessly killed or maimed. And, when another attempt was to be made to conclude the process in July, the pervading atmosphere suggested that there could be mayhem and general breakdown of law and order. Consequently, as a responsible agency, after due consultation with all stakeholders, the electoral commission postponed the election.

    But we are concerned about the inflammable speeches by political leaders in the state. The state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have been quick to launch attacks at the federal government and the federal agencies involved in conducting the election. They have been charged with all manner of crimes, including plans to assassinate the governor, aid the leading opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in snatching ballot boxes and in printing fake sensitive materials. As expected, these have been denied.

    The APC, too, has kept shouting that youths have been trained to attack leading party officials and candidates as well as instigate chaos and anarchy with a view to sustaining the status quo. It is disturbing to hear the chief security officer of a state instruct the people to take the law into their own hands. Wike said: Nobody should intimidate you with security agents. Resist any arrest. You must move round in groups to promote resistance to the robbers of mandates.”  In an apparent response, a candidate for the Ikwerre state constituency, Azubuike Wajoku, alleged: “The Rivers State government under the PDP has planned to kill me. But they will not succeed. They shot at me during the 2015 election and thought I was dead, but God revived me…this is a show of the criminal mind that governs the state today.”

    In this picture, no one is talking about the interests of the electorate. The basic underpinning of the democratic system is the General Will. This is what has suffered in Rivers State since May 29, 2015. As the National Assembly pointed out last month, the state is unrepresented in the upper legislative chamber. Since 2015, screenings of nominees for federal appointments have been held without input from the state. At the moment, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is being debated and processed without the voice of Rivers State, which is at the heart of the Niger Delta, being heard.

    This supports the claim by INEC that politicians should be blamed for the spate of inconclusive elections recorded in the past one year. We call on all officials concerned to discharge their duties impartially and firmly. Whoever infringes the law should be apprehended and tried under the law. Impunity has traversed the land for too long and it is time to show that the law enforcement agencies can bark and bite in the interest of the people.

    The Rivers State Supplementary Rerun National and State Legislative Elections is another opportunity to show that Nigeria can manage elections. It is time to build on the successes achieved in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

     

  • PDP faults Ganduje on polls

    The Caretaker Committee of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s comments on the December 10 National and State Assembly rerun in Rivers State.

    Ganduje was quoted as saying that having free and fair elections in Rivers State and other parts of Southsouth “is abnormal”.

    The statement said: “You know in that part of the country, having free and fair elections is not normal and we have to make it normal this time.”

    It added that the Federal Government will deploy massive security for the polls.

    But in a statement yesterday by the spokesperson of PDP Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party described the governor’s statement as unfortunate and ridiculous.

    PDP said: “This statement from the governor is not only unfortunate, it is ridiculous and absurd, to say the least. It is highly unbecoming of a governor to make such an unguarded statement that denigrates the people of the state and Southsouth.

    “The (governor’s) statement is also a veiled threat that the coming election in Rivers State will be manipulated as usual by the APC, using Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security apparatus of state.

    “If free and fair elections have been “abnormal” in the region, according to the governor, it is due to the manipulation and the win-at-all-cost attitude of the APC.

    “This desperation of APC to win at all cost was exposed by the recent decision of the Court of Appeal, which upturned the rerun in Opobo/Nkoro State Constituency of Rivers State in favour of our candidate, Mr. Diri Adonye, wherein the Appeal Court emphatically stated that the election was massively rigged. Nigerians can now see who has been manipulating elections and causing the state of abnormality in the region.”

  • Oke accuses APC of planning to rig Ondo polls

    Oke accuses APC of planning to rig Ondo polls

    Alliance for Democracy (AD) governorship candidate in Ondo State Chief Olusola Oke has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was planning to rig the poll.

    He alleged that Federal Government was planning to release N7 billion to the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, from the N10 billion  infrastructural contract slated for Owo community.

    The Olusola Oke Campaign Committee, which raised the alarm in Akure, the state capital, said the plan was hatched in the Federal Ministry of Works, Abuja and that the idea was to award a bogus contract without due process for infrastructure in Owo, where Akeredolu hails from and divert a substantial part of the money towards rigging the election.

    This was contained in a release by the Chairman of its Publicity Committee, Kolawole Olabisi. He said: “The APC has been boasting that it would rig the election, even if only one vote was cast for it. The party has been sedentary in its approach to canvassing for votes since the campaign started.

    “They have been preaching it and now they have professed it with this dastardly plan perfected and supervised by the top echelons of the Federal Government to use state funds to make good their threat.”

    Olabisi said the contract  sum was perfected and released without going through due process and that the money has now been earmarked as part of the APC war chest to rig the November 26 election.

    He said: “We want to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to be aware of what is being done by members of his cabinet in their vaunted ambition to win this election at all cost and immediately arrest the situation. While we have been going round the state, canvassing for votes from the people, they have remained in their offices boasting that they will use federal might to rig the election even if nobody votes for them.

    “The APC members in Ondo have been preaching this strange gospel of rigging and we are now amazed by this latest antics to win the election with the award of a strange contract for a whopping N10 billion for Owo community where Akeredolu hails from, with a view to releasing a whopping sum of N7 billion to him to make the rigging plan a reality.

    Olabisi added: “The pertinent question to ask now is, why a contract in Owo, which has one of the best road networks in Ondo State? Who approved this contract sum and why did it not go through due process such contracts had to go through?

    “We want to assure them that the people of Ondo State are watching them and the consequences of rigging election here await perpetrators. Winning election  should not be a do-or-die affair.”

    While calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies to beam their searchlights on the activities of the Babatunde Fashola-led Federal Ministry of Works, the Oke Campaign Committee reminded them that those who live in glass houses do not throw stones.

    Its words: “If we have been probing those who were alleged to have embezzled our treasure-troves and those who doled out monies without following due process, it will be strange that those sitting on the throne of justice now are equally perpetrating the same offence they sit in justice over others; it is such an absurd development.

    “We, therefore, call on President Buhari, a noted democrat and a man fabled for his aversion for graft, to immediately call to order those attempting to make nonsense his fight against graft and election rigging the order of the day to order, as it portends grave danger for the nation. Election must be free and fair and the will of the people must be allowed to prevail.”

  • Parties warming up for Lagos council polls

    Parties warming up for Lagos council polls

    Though the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) is yet to come up with the timetable for fresh council polls, there are indications that the contest may hold soon. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN looks at the level of preparedness of the two major parties.

    There are indications that the much-expected local government election in Lagos State will hold very soon. Although the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has not officially announced the date of the election, the body language of the commission suggests it will hold any moment from now.

    To demonstrate government’s commitment to the conduct of the council election, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently inaugurated new members of the state electoral body headed by the immediate past Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayotunde Philips. The governor promised that he would not interfere in the affairs of the commission.  According to him, “LASIEC, as the statutory body saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government elections, has a critical role to play in entrenching the democratic process in the state”.

    He charged members of the commission to live above board and truly live up to the public expectation as independent umpires. He added: “You must be transparent and fair to all without giving undue advantage to one party over another. This is the only way you can guarantee the credibility of the process you supervise.”

    The new commission has started strategising for a successful poll. A source close to the commission said: “We are already collating the voters’ register sourced from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). There is no way the state electoral commission can conduct credible election without having appropriate voters’ register. You will agree with me that since the last registration when INEC gave us the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), some have not been released. We still have some outstanding 400,000 left with the electoral commission. These issues have to be addressed if we must conduct a credible election.”

     

    Controversy over delayed poll

    The last local government election in Lagos was in 2011. The councils were dissolved in November 2014. Since then, the administrations of the 57 local governments and the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) have been under Executive Secretaries appointed by the state governor. The failure of the state goverment to conduct a fresh council election in the past two years has drawn criticisms from the opposition.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been urging the government to conduct the polls in the last two years, saying that the delay is a deliberate ploy to deny the people of Lagos State the right to choose their representatives, to manage their affairs at the local government level. The party said it was a violation of the constitution for the state government not to conduct the poll to fill the vacant council positions within 100 days of the dissolution of the last council executives in 2014.

    But, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary, Mr Joe Igbokwe, disagreed, saying the constitution allows the state governor to appoint caretaker committees to run the affairs of the councils pending the election of chairmen and councillors.

    The APC image maker insists that the PDP cannot stampede the state government into holding local government elections. He said: “We have been conducting local government elections consistently in Lagos. We cannot conduct local government elections at the prompting of the PDP. They are not in government; they are like spectators. In a football field, actors know who they are, spectators watch, clap and dance. So, they should just be onlookers. We decide what happens. There is nowhere in the constitution that says the governor should conduct election on a particular date.

    However, the Lagos PDP Chairman, Hon. Moshood Salvador, believes that the APC is deliberately delaying the council poll because it is afraid of defeat. He said: “It is someone at the top that is always afraid of coming down. Despite being in opposition, the PDP still managed to win seven House of Representatives seats and seven House of Assembly seats. The APC is dilly-dallying on the council elections in order to fix the loopholes observed in the last general elections and consolidate its grip ahead of the future elections.”

    But, Igbokwe boasted that the ruling party would defeat the PDP anytime the election is conducted, saying as far as he is concerned, there is no opposition in Lagos.

    An APC chieftain in Lagos West Senatorial District, Alhaji Ibrahim Oloruntoba, said the delay in conducting the poll is in the interest of all parties. He said: “LASIEC is making efforts to create awareness and provide a level-playing field for all contestants, which I believe, is critical to the success of the exercise. Owing to the kind of politics we play in this country, some people, especially those in opposition, have misinterpreted the good intention of the state government.”

    Oloruntoba said LASIEC is taking its time to put the necessary logistic in place to conduct a free and fair election. Even though we are anxious for the election to hold, people should relax and support the electoral body in its effort to conduct a credible council poll.”

     

    Parties’ preparation

    Observers believe the election will be a straight fight between the ruling APC and the PDP, going by the outcome of the last general elections. Both parties have intensified efforts to ensure they come tops when the election holds. The PDP, which had been accusing the APC of trying to hold on to power, is embroiled in protracted internal crisis. The challenge before the PDP is to hold successful congress, to pick new leaders, as well as candidates for the election. The contest will put to test the success recorded by the party in the last general elections; whether it was real or accidental.

    Within the APC, on the other hand, subtle campaigns have been going on in different localities; posters of aspirants for both the chairmanship and councillorship positions have flooded major streets of the metropolis. Consultative meetings have also been holding among the various stakeholders.

    The PDP Vice Chairman, Chief Ola Apena, said despite the shoddy preparations for the election by the ruling party that his party is battle-ready for the contest. He said the PDP would not boycott the election, because such action in the past was counter-productive. Apena described the former ruling party at the centre as the most credible party for the country, because the ruling APC has deceived the people and many are yearning for the PDP to take over power in next election.

    He said: “Though no date has been fixed for the election, Ambode can wake up one morning and give instruction to LASIEC to prepare for the local government poll within 30 days; though the law prescribed a minimum period of 90 days notification. Once a bill for the amendment of that law is sent to Mudashiru Obasa (Speaker) in the House of Assembly within a day, the bill would pass first, second and third reading; then it becomes a law the following day. So, we don’t want to be taken unawares.”

    On his part, the APC Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, said his party is prepared for the poll any time the government gives the go-ahead for it. He said: “We are prepared, even if the election is to hold tomorrow. Even though the APC is the ruling party, we are not relenting; we are still making efforts to consolidate on our popularity and acceptability by the good people of Lagos State.”

    Ajomale said it would be naive of the PDP to base its popularity on the few assembly seats it won in the last general elections. He added: “We knew what played out in that election. Former President Goodluck Jonathan relocated to Lagos in the build-up to the general election. He abandoned Abuja, the seat of government, just because he wanted to win Lagos. I understand he brought about $700 million to prosecute election in Lagos.  Besides, Ifeanyi Ubah, a benefactor of the Jonathan administration bankrolled campaign expenses of the PDP in Lagos. We are waiting to see if Jonathan and Ubah would still provide the financial war chest to Lagos PDP, as they did in the last general elections. I think it is wishful thinking for the PDP to say the party is popular enough to win the forthcoming council poll. The APC will put them where they rightly belong.”

    Salvador has reiterated the determination of his party not only to win the coming council elections, but also to chase the APC away from Alausa. He said: “We are well prepared for the local government election. If they decide to hold it tomorrow, we won’t be taken unawares. It is the APC that is afraid of losing and that is why they are foot-dragging on the conduct of the council poll.”

    The PDP chieftain said the performance of the PDP in Lagos in last year’s general elections was not a fluke. He added: “It has nothing to do with the money spent by Jonathan to win presidential election in the state. It is wrong for the APC to conclude that the millions of dollars Jonathan brought to Lagos that was responsible for the PDP’s impressive performance.

    “We worked hard to win election in areas we won. Our candidates won on merit. We prevailed and convinced the electorate on the programmes of our party and the integrity of our candidates. People are no longer interested in money or gift offered by the contestants. Money is no longer the determinant factor; what matters is the antecedents or the integrity of the candidates.

    “The people of Lagos State are tired of the APC and they decided to have a change by voting for PDP candidates. So far, our elected candidates have not disappointed them, because they are keeping to the developmental programmes promised the electorate in their constituencies. The same strategy we are going to use for the local council election. We have started mobilising from house-to-house to create awareness about the importance of the election.”

    Explaining why aspirants on PDP platform are yet to display posters, Salvador said: “What we need now is regular consultation between the aspirants and the electorate; this is the time for the aspirants to work underground and showcase their programmes to the members of the community. Only few of our aspirants have put up posters, because LASIEC has not released the time-table for the election. It will be a futile effort putting up posters and banners for the election you are not sure of when it will hold.”

    To the Assistant APC Publicity Secretary, Mr Abiodun Salami, the party’s victory in the council poll is not negotiable. He has no doubts that his party would retain its hold on the state because, according to him, the APC is a grassroots party.

    He said: “As a party, we are prepared. We have been mobilising our people as it is our responsibility to do, as directed by LASIEC. It is the regulatory agency for the council election in Lagos State. We are waiting for their directives. We are preparing, just like the Boys’ Scouts, to win the election genuinely in Lagos, as we have always done.”

    On the APC’s strategy for victory, he said: “We want to keep that to our chest as a party. You do not expect us to publicise our preparation and our strategies. We do not want our opponents to take advantage of us. However, we are mobilising our members and our co-ordinators.”

    He was also not perturbed by the level of success recorded by the PDP in the state during the last general elections, as he attributed such victory to the handiwork of those he termed “enemies within”. But he stressed that the issue has been resolved and that the APC would be going to the local government poll as a one united family.

  • Group slams Wike, Okowa over polls

    A socio-political group, the Niger-Delta Alliance for Good Governance (NDAFGG) has vowed to resist alleged plots by Governors Nyesome Wike and Ifeanyi Okowa of Rivers and Delta states to rig the September 28 governorship election in Edo state.

    It said Edo would not return to the days of Peoples Democratic Party where the state was ruled from Okada Avenue and the state wealth shared among cronies.

    The group noted that it was disheartening that both Governors Wike and Okowa could not pay workers’ salaries but doled out N2bn to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to bribe voters.

    The President of the group, Mr. Nosa Omorogie, in a press statement, said the NDAFGG has received reports about plans to rig the governorship election in favour of the PDP candidate.

    Omorogie stated that it was painful that rather than face their states’ businesses, Wike and Okowa have resorted to fighting Edo people by making the election a do or die, as they did in their states.

    The statement reads in part: “We know that they are yet to get over their failed plans as a result of postponement of the election, which they had already perfected to rig with the importation of militants.

    “Edo people must reject them. Edo is not like Delta or River state where the governors have refused to pay workers even with the huge resources they receive from both internally Generated Revenues and the Federal allocation.

    “Edo is working, the people can attest to it. Any attempt by people in guise of governors to cause mayhem in a state they know nothing of will be opposed.

    “We urge all Edo citizens to be wise as the likes of Governor Wike and Okowa mean no well for the development of the state at large and its people.”

  • INEC, inconclusive polls and 2019

    Democracy would perhaps lose its defining egalitarianism if it foreclosed the free expression of viewpoints by its adherents – including often illogical perspectives by forces that seek to misinform, diminish and divide. Against this backdrop, we should appreciate public communicators who have achieved that delicate, firm balance between researched opinion that informs and leverages society and humdrum commentary that diminishes and stunts.

    The unfolding debate over assessment of the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, especially with regards to the so-called ‘inconclusive polls’ represents an arena where a lot of positions that lack rigorous, objective thinking have taken centre stage. Given that perception is reality, this situation is hugely worrying and needs to be dealt with immediately to clear the often contrived fog foisted on public perception.

    Curiously, many commentators on elections either do not know, or choose to ignore the key fact that conduct of election is a closely structured exercise. The often contrived failure to conform to due process and rules of engagement will result in a verdict of inconclusiveness by the electoral umpire or in nullification of the poll by the election petitions tribunals down the line.

    Currently, two major pieces of legislation guide the conduct of elections in Nigeria. They are the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended as well as the Electoral Act 2010, as amended. In addition, Section 153 of the Electoral Act empowers INEC to also issue regulations, guidelines and manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the Act. Thus, the commission periodically publishes Election Guidelines, Codes of Conduct for Political Parties, Accredited Observers, Journalists, etc. It also developed Political Party Finance Manual and Handbook.

    The necessity for declaration of inconclusive polls stems from the need to account for results from every polling unit during an election exercise. INEC itself brought more clarity to this issue recently when its chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, visited a Lagos-based newspaper. “The constitution of this country provides condition for making return in an election”, he said. “If that threshold is not met, can INEC make a declaration? We can’t, under the law, and if you do so the court will nullify the election.”  When I first saw the headline of this article, however, I didn’t exactly have the clarity.

    The headline, “INEC can’t guarantee conclusive elections in 2019 –Chairman”, got my iris dilated. But when I read Yakubu’s direct quotes inside the story, I was relieved. This, in my humble opinion, brought to the fore the excrescency of interpretative journalism, where interpretation provides the theme and the facts illustrate it; where the theme is primary and the facts are secondary.

    I couldn’t agree any less with INEC boss when he said, “The most difficult election for the commission to conduct are off-season elections, because the attention of everybody focuses on a particular constituency and the political actors and gladiators and their antics have time to mobilise nationwide to descend on a particular constituency, which made the conclusion of such elections very difficult.”

    That was manifested in Bayelsa. That was what we also saw in Rivers. That was why seven people were killed in Rivers elections last year, including a corps member and two solders. That accounted for the reported deaths of 14 people in Bayelsa election last year, including three soldiers and four policemen. All political eyes were fixated on the states in their respective election dates. The political parties and their stalwarts had their attention and resources directed to a those areas. It was a do or die affair!

    Will it be fair, therefore, to compare the outcome of the elections in these states with that of a general election? Just imagine if the death ratio is taken to the general election. Assuming the spate of deaths is mirrored across the states in a general poll. In arithmetic progression, that would be almost 400 victims, including 108 soldiers. Would you call that an election or a war?

    The Rivers and Bayelsa experience would likely reincarnate in Edo State. The politicians are already raising the political temperature to feverish proportions. I will be surprised if the winner is decided at first ballot count. I will not bore you with section 26. The spirit and letter of that act suggest that safety and security should not be sacrificed on the altar of conclusive elections.

    All said, why does it appear elections are increasingly becoming inconclusive at first count? I want to suspect that there are more off-season polls now than ever before. Annulment of election naturally steers them away from general election. In addition, our polls are now credible and thus more competitive. “What I want Nigerians to understand is that our democracy is maturing,” Yakubu had explained. “If it matures, it cannot be the way we used to do things before. The mind-set would have to change. Days were long gone when politicians do everything they can to be declared winners, knowing that the case would end up in court.”

    However, INEC would need to speed up some of its proposed reforms, such as amendments to its guidelines. This includes removal of the eight million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards. It also includes vigorous prosecution of electoral offenders and initiating further enactments to stem electoral violence.

    While I respect the rights of others to hold opinions that do not resonate with mine as expressed here, it would appear some are on a mischief trip. Since the emergence of Yakubu, it seems some have made throwing flaks at him as their mission in life. It’s not the aim of this piece to obliterate any happiness they cling to by so doing – except to give illumination, as I see it, to the straight-minded.

     

    • Gaya is Vice President (North), Nigerian Guild of Editors.