• Accreditation, voting to take place simultaneously, says INEC
• APC, PDP continue to trade accusations over plot to rig poll
• Electoral body: Falsifying results not possible
• APC, PDP continue to trade accusations over plot to rig poll
• Electoral body: Falsifying results not possible
======== =================== ===================
APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki
STRENGTHS
Has the backing of federal, state and ruling party machinery
Deep pockets to prosecute the election
Better grasp of economic issues due to his financial sector background and having superintended the state’s economy for eight years
APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki
STRENGTHS
Has the backing of federal, state and ruling party machinery
Deep pockets to prosecute the election
Better grasp of economic issues due to his financial sector background and having superintended the state’s economy for eight years
WEAKNESSES
Seen as a political novice tied to Adams Oshiomhole’s apron strings
Could suffer a backlash from a disenchanted and hungry electorate over the economic recession and APC’s mixed performance at the federal level
Seen as a political novice tied to Adams Oshiomhole’s apron strings
Could suffer a backlash from a disenchanted and hungry electorate over the economic recession and APC’s mixed performance at the federal level
======== =================== ===================
PDP candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu
STRENGTHS
A grassroots politician and deeply rooted in Edo politics
Has experience in governance having held the post of chief of staff and SSG to former Governor Lucky Igbinedion
PDP candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu
STRENGTHS
A grassroots politician and deeply rooted in Edo politics
Has experience in governance having held the post of chief of staff and SSG to former Governor Lucky Igbinedion
WEAKNESSES
Served in Igbinedion’s government widely considered to have underperformed
Limited war chest
Served in Igbinedion’s government widely considered to have underperformed
Limited war chest
======== =================== ===================
Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
As registered voters head to the polls
in Edo State today to elect a new governor, a total of 26,900 army and
police personnel have been deployed statewide to ensure adequate
security before, during and after the election.
A breakdown showed that the army will
deploy 1,900 officers and soldiers while the police have moved 25,000 of
its personnel in the state for the election.
In addition, two drones are to be deployed in each of the three senatorial districts and six gunboats in the riverine areas.
In addition, two drones are to be deployed in each of the three senatorial districts and six gunboats in the riverine areas.
The Commander, 4 Brigade of the Nigerian
Army, Brigadier-General Benbela Raji, disclosed this yesterday while
briefing journalists shortly after a combined security meeting with the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other sister
agencies in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
He explained that no military personnel
would be found at either the voting or collation centres, but would
cordon off adjoining routes to the polling units to ensure that
criminals or people who want to foment trouble are not allowed into
those areas.
“The Nigerian Army is there to play a
supportive role to the security agencies. Should there be issues or
security challenges beyond the control of the security agencies, the
military will, of course, be activated to take care of such situations,”
he said.
In a separate briefing, the
Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, stated that the
enforcement of the restriction of movement in and out of the state
commenced at midnight yesterday and the deployment of 25,000 personnel
of the Nigeria Police Force.
Idris, who spoke through the Deputy
Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, Joshak Habila, said
the restriction would include a lock down of all highways in the state
and inner-city streets, adding that the police would also conduct
“semi-temporary checks” on vehicles and persons plying such roads.
“I want members of the public to know
that at 1 a.m. on September 28, the highways, the in-ways and the
out-roads, leading in and out of Edo will be locked down,” he said.
The IG explained that the crime-mapping of flash points was being done to ensure adequate policing and arrest of electoral offenders.
The IG explained that the crime-mapping of flash points was being done to ensure adequate policing and arrest of electoral offenders.
He also explained that in addition to
the provision of 25,000 personnel and patrol vehicles for the poll, the
air wing of the police had also deployed helicopters to provide aerial
surveillance in the three senatorial zones in the state.
“As I speak to you, we have a large
number of men from the special anti-robbery squad, men from the police
mobile force, tactical operations squad and men from the force
intelligence bureau who are here.
“They have their vehicles. From now,
they will go into the three senatorial districts and carry out
aggressive patrols and look out for would-be troublemakers, some of whom
we have already captured their behaviour when we did what we call crime
analysis.
“We have shared information with other
security agencies and we are ready to make sure that we do not allow
anybody to truncate the system,” he explained.
On its part, the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) said that it had organised several
enlightenment, sensitisation meetings for political parties, security
agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders on the
governorship election.
Alhaji Muhammed Leky, INEC’s National
Commissioner, South-south, said that there would be accreditation and
casting of votes simultaneously, which according to him, is a departure
from the past of having separate times for accreditation and voting.
He disclosed that there are 1,915,105 registered voters in Edo State, 2,627 polling units, and 4,011 polling points.
He disclosed that there are 1,915,105 registered voters in Edo State, 2,627 polling units, and 4,011 polling points.
The commissioner said it had moved all
the sensitive electoral materials to all the 18 local government offices
of the commission in the state and held last minute briefings with
election operation officers (EOPs) and election supervisors.
Under the aegis of Nigerian Civil
Society Organisations’ Situation Room, no fewer than 70 CSOs have also
relocated to Benin City to monitor the governorship election.
Clement Nwankwo, the convener of the Situation Room, said that they were watching with keen interest to see the level of compliance on the part of INEC.
Clement Nwankwo, the convener of the Situation Room, said that they were watching with keen interest to see the level of compliance on the part of INEC.
Nwankwo, who declined to disclose the
number of its personnel that will be monitoring the exercise, said that
their areas of interest would include early distribution and deployment
of personnel by INEC; timely opening of poll units; knowledge of
procedures by personnel; voting procedures particularly the efficacy of
Smart Card Readers; and the collation process, which according to him,
“has always been a concern for the Situation Room”.
He said while the Situation Room
welcomed INEC’s guidelines on simultaneous accreditation and voting, it
was the constitutional rights of voters to stay back and ensure that
their votes count.
APC, PDP Trade Accusations
However, the two main parties expected
to lock horns in the election — the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — continued to
trade accusations yesterday over the alleged connivance of some
officials of INEC to interfere with the exercise.
Specifically, the PDP accused the state
government and the electoral umpire of allegedly inducing INEC
supervisors to compromise the outcome of the poll in nine out of the 18
local government areas in the state.
The state Publicity Secretary of PDP,
Chris Nehikhare, who spoke to journalists in Benin, said that the party
had received information of the alleged distribution of N2 million by a
senior staff of INEC to the supervisors on behalf of the state
government.
Nehikhare, who also alleged that the
results of the affected areas had already “been written” for
announcement later today, vowed that the party and its supporters would
resist with “the last drop of their blood” any attempt to switch
election results.
He said: “It has come to our attention
that INEC and the state government have seriously compromised the
election that is going to take place tomorrow (today). People involved
in this conspiracy are those that have leaked this information to the
PDP and for us to act very fast.
“She (INEC staff) has been sharing N2 million to supervisors in at least nine local government areas of Edo State.
“What they have done is that they have written results for the nine local government areas on behalf of the APC. These results are being held by the supervisors and the collation officers at a point, where they plan to switch the results with the real ones at the local government level once the election is done.”
“What they have done is that they have written results for the nine local government areas on behalf of the APC. These results are being held by the supervisors and the collation officers at a point, where they plan to switch the results with the real ones at the local government level once the election is done.”
Similarly, the acting National
Pubilicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, alleged yesterday
that it had uncovered a plot by members of the APC and INEC to
manipulate the election results.
The party said the alleged plan included
the distribution of fake results sheets to polling units in different
areas of the state; the use of local government collation officers to
write fictitious results on real results sheets of some local government
areas; and the use of thugs brought into the state from outside to
harass and intimidate the citizens of Edo State.
Other aspects of the plot, according to
the PDP, include the use of security agencies to arrest, harass and
intimidate members and supporters of the PDP, and to provide security
cover for members of the APC to execute their nefarious plot.
Adeyeye called on INEC to ensure that
its staff abide by the provisions of the Electoral Act. “We are aware
that President Muhammadu Buhari has warned the INEC chairman in private
to ensure a free, fair and credible process in Edo State.
“We are also aware that the president
has also warned the relevant security agencies to ensure the
preservation of the peace in the state during the election.
“Despite these warnings, we have
uncovered several plots by members of the APC and staff of INEC to
manipulate the election results.
“It is important to sound this note of warning again to INEC and APC that the Edo people are united in their determination to vehemently resist any attempt to manipulate the electoral process.
“It is important to sound this note of warning again to INEC and APC that the Edo people are united in their determination to vehemently resist any attempt to manipulate the electoral process.
“We urge INEC to ensure that its staff
abide by the provisions of the Electoral Act as well as its Electoral
Manual and Guidelines.
“We urge the relevant stakeholders to allow the Edo people to freely elect the leader they desire for the next four years and to allow the will of the people to prevail,” he said.
“We urge the relevant stakeholders to allow the Edo people to freely elect the leader they desire for the next four years and to allow the will of the people to prevail,” he said.
But in its reaction, the state Chairman of APC, Anselm Ojezua, described the claim as a figment of the imagination of the PDP.
“That is a figment of their imagination. They have lost the election already. I am the state chairman of APC. I have been in my home area for three days. So what time did I have to go and bribe INEC officials?
“That is a figment of their imagination. They have lost the election already. I am the state chairman of APC. I have been in my home area for three days. So what time did I have to go and bribe INEC officials?
“If anything at all, it is the PDP
people that know the INEC officials. After all, most of these INEC
officials were employed during the PDP administration. We have trained
our agents and they are determined to be very vigilant.
“The truth is that all the plans by PDP
to create havoc in Edo State have virtually failed. All the efforts they
have made to manipulate the process have also failed. They can now see
that there is nothing other than the true transparent process that will
give us results in this election,” he said.
INEC Dismisses Allegations
However, INEC yesterday dismissed the
claims by PDP of the plot to rig the Edo governorship election, saying
it was “totally impossible”.
The commission’s Deputy Director in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Nick Dazang, said the allegation made by the PDP of possible connivance with the APC to declare fake results does not arise.
The commission’s Deputy Director in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Nick Dazang, said the allegation made by the PDP of possible connivance with the APC to declare fake results does not arise.
Dazang, who spoke to THISDAY, assured all the contestants that the electoral process was going to be transparent, free and fair.
“I want to say that the idea of faking
the result does not arise because once the results are declared at every
point, party agents are in a position to challenge them, because they
can follow the thread, it is as simple as that.
“In line with the existing template,
when we finish announcing results at the polling units, party agents
will accompany the results to the collation centre at the ward level and
from this level the agents can also follow it to the local government
area collation centre.
“From the local government collation
level, it will now move to the final collation point at the state
collation centre. So these processes can be tracked and are transparent.
“It is not only the party agents that are tracking the process, the various election monitoring groups are also going to monitor the process. Once the outcome at the state collation centre is at variance with what we have declared at the other levels we will take action,” he said.
“It is not only the party agents that are tracking the process, the various election monitoring groups are also going to monitor the process. Once the outcome at the state collation centre is at variance with what we have declared at the other levels we will take action,” he said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment