Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi guber polls: OPPOSITION BIDS TO UPSTAGE INCUMBENTS FAIL

Akani Alaka

As expected in Nigeria’s elections, the contest for the gubernatorial seats in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa States conducted last Saturday will not end until the judicial pronouncements from the highest court in the country on who are the real winners.
The first indication of resorting to court for justice over the outcome of the election was in Imo on Sunday where the Labour Party, LP candidate, Athan Achonu, flatly rejected the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that Governor Hope Uzodimma massively defeated him and 17 other candidates on the ballot to secure another term of office.
In the result, the first among the three of Saturday’s gubernatorial contests declared on Sunday, the State Returning Officer, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, said that Uzodimma polled 540,308 votes to defeat 17 other candidates.
The PDP candidate in the election Samuel Anyanwu, polled 71,503 votes to come second while Achonu of the Labour Party came third with 64,081 votes.
“This victory is a victory for Imo people. It is a victory for the continuation of the development the governor is providing for the people,” APC State Collation Officer and Attorney-General of Imo state, Mr Cyprian Akaolisa said while commending INEC and security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the poll.
But the declaration of results was marred by protests, especially from Callistus Ihejiagwa, the agent of the Labour Party at the collation centre who complained that the results being declared by the local government collation officer were at variance with what was recorded at the polling units and uploaded on the INEC’s result viewing portal, IREV.
But his attempt and that of the other agents to get the collation officer to stop the announcement of the results to enable reconciliation with those uploaded on the IREV fell on deaf ears.
Indeed, the LP agent was later beaten and bundled out of the collation centre to “allow peace to reign.”

Athan Achonu Heads To Court

But the LP governorship candidate at a press conference held a few hours after the declaration of Uzodimma as winner of the gubernatorial contest indicated that he is heading to court.
While addressing newsmen in his Umulomo country home in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state, Achonu alleged that the election was “marred by irregularities, including vote buying and physical assaults of LP agents, and thus deserving of outright cancellation”.
He also said that voting in many locations was done without BVAS accreditation, contrary to the assurances by INEC before the election.
The LP candidate also claimed that security personnel were neck deep in malpractices that characterised the election, adding that “recorded evidence abound, such as that of a police officer who was beaten by voters for attempting to snatch a ballot box”.
He said he had confidence that he would get justice in the courts.
“Our democracy was raped in the full glare of security personnel, whose salaries we pay from our commonwealth. Collation was suddenly moved from the ward to LG centres, and only APC agents were allowed to enter, while agents of other parties were locked out.
“I have not lost hope in the judiciary, there are so many men of integrity therein, and we shall reclaim our mandate,” Achonu said while condemning the assault and detention of the LP Chairman in Imo, Mr Callistus Ihejiagwa, at the state collation centre.
He called for the immediate arrest of those who manhandled him. “Let’s save the drift into anarchy, let’s save our country and her democracy. There was no election yesterday and we call on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to cancel the purported results,“ Achonu said.
Anyawu has also indicated that the PDP will not accept the outcome of the election.

APC Fumes In Bayelsa

There were similar complaints by the main opposition challengers at the collation centres in Yenagoa for the Bayelsa governorship election and Lokoja for the Kogi governorship poll as the results being declared reflected the maintenance of the status quo.
In Bayelsa, the incumbent governor, Douye Diri had taken a commanding lead against his main opponent, Timipre Sylva of APC just after the announcement of results from three local governments of the state.
However, INEC’s returning officer, Faruk Kuta had to stave off intermittent protests and interruptions by the APC agents at the collation centre to enable the announcement of results of the three local governments.
Results uploaded on IREV showed that the Bayelsa governor is assured of a second term.
But like the LP in Imo, APC has also indicated it may challenge the outcome of the results in the court as it alleges that security operatives prevented its members from voting across the state.

SDP Calls For Cancellation in Kogi

Also, in Kogi, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP and his party have been crying foul as results declared by INEC indicate a massive lead for Ahmed Usman Ododo of the ruling APC in the state in the election in which ethnicity played a huge role.
The SDP and other opposition parties in the state are also alleging wide-scale electoral malpractices in Kogi Central, the senatorial zone of Ododo.
Indeed, the alarm that the Kogi election may be aggressively rigged had sounded last Saturday morning with the discovery of result sheets already filled with results even before the commencement of voting.
INEC later announced the suspension of elections in nine Registration Areas (RAs) where incidences of electoral malpractices, particularly the incident of result sheets completed before voting were reported.
“Reports indicate that the incidents occurred in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene Local Government Areas. The most serious incidents occurred in Ogori/Magongo, affecting nine of 10 Registration Areas. “This is entirely unacceptable. Any result not emanating from the Commission’s process in the Polling Units will not be accepted.
“The Commission is determined not to reward bad behaviour. Consequently, the election in the nine Wards in Ogori/Magongo LGA (Eni, Okibo, Okesi, Ileteju, Aiyeromi, Ugugu, Obinoyin, Obatgben and Oturu) is at this moment suspended,” INEC said as it promised to follow the audit trail of personnel and materials to ascertain those who may have been complicit in undermining the process.
However, the SDP candidate has insisted that results from the local governments where the APC got the majority of his votes should be cancelled.

Election Marred by Voting Buying, Logistic Challenges

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, also called for a thorough investigation into incidents of pre-filled results sheets in Kogi while giving its assessment of the election into the three states.
Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Yunusa Ya’u, made the call at a news conference on the off-cycle governorship election in Abuja and noted reports of pre-filled results sheets in Kogi where someone was apprehended with filled results sheets and N1 million cash in a bag.
“There were also reports of filled result sheets in RA Eika/Ohizeni, Okehi LGA. Also in Adavi LGA, PU 044, RA01, there were reports of unavailability of election result sheets and failure to upload results on the iRev portal.
“Situation Room calls for a thorough investigation of these incidents to preserve the integrity of the elections.”
He also observed that the election was marred by logistics with transportation not available in 26 per cent of the Registration Area Centres (RACs) visited by his team in Kogi for example.
He said that materials were not properly batched in 17 per cent of the RACs visited and the required number of election officials were not available in 15 per cent of the RACs visited.
The group observed that the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned optimally in most polling units across the three states while security personnel deployed for the elections were relatively civil in their conduct within and outside polling units.
“However, some security personnel were observed standing by while vote buying was going on.
“Situation Room received reports of widespread vote buying across the three states. Some of the specific instances include the sale of votes for amounts ranging from as low as N1,000 to N30,000 at various locations.
“In Bayelsa State, for instance, voters were seen showing their thumb-printed ballot papers in exchange for rice, drinks and money in PU 015, RA11, Southern Ijaw LGA”.
The Situation Room said 19 incidents of violence were reported during the election in the three states and several injuries were reported.
He added that on a general note, citizens came out to vote, contrary to the initial apprehension that trailed the beginning of the electioneering process.
He said that Situation Room called on INEC and security agencies to ensure the peaceful and transparent conclusion of these elections.
He said that the Situation Room specifically called on security agencies to continue to maintain law and order through the remaining phases of this exercise.
Also, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), noted that vote buying and electoral violence marred the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi governorship elections.
Dr Jack Johnson, a Member of the CDD Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC) noted that the over 150 fact-checkers and its team of data clerks, and reviewers confirmed that overall there was early commencement of polls as well as the usage of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
But it also noted that there were several reports about voter inducement across all three states.
“Observers reported incidents in PU 1, Ward 8 and PU 11, Ward 1 in Sagbama LGA in Bayelsa West.
“In Bayelsa Central, vote trading was reported in PU 16, Ward 6 in Yenegoa LGA, PU 22, Ward 13 in Southern Ijaw LGA with reports of voter inducements ranging from N5,000 – N22,000, including other items such as wrappers.
“In PU 30 and 31, Ward 13, along with money, rice was also shared to buy votes.
“We are concerned that there were allusions that it might be linked to the delayed flood and subsidy palliatives that state governments only started distributing two days ago.”
He added that CDD observed that in Kogi, there were reports of vote buying in PUs 004, 038 and 039 in Ward A of Lokoja LGA, where party agents were allegedly sharing out money to voters upon confirmation that they voted for their party candidates.
He further said that the two major parties’ agents were reported to have engaged in vote buying, with N2000 to N3000 shared and same at PU3 Mbutu Ward, Aboh Mbaise LGA as well as PU11, Civic Centre Ward, Mbaitoli LGA.
He added that in PU 7, Central School UmuNakanu Ehime LGA, in Imo, there were reports that INEC ad hoc staff were given monetary inducements by party officials.
He said that incidents of vote buying were concentrated in Mbaitoli-Ezinihitte, Owerri West and Njaba LGAs with the highest number of collected PVCs amongst the LGAs in the state with 150,012 and 134,192 cards.”
Jackson said that regrettably, electoral violence remained a sore point in this election.
He added that electoral violence was reported in Dekini LGA, specifically in Agala Ogane PU, Anyigba town, where a thug was reportedly shot and killed by military officials while fleeing in an attempt to snatch a ballot box.

“There was a similar attempt in Ganaja PU, Ajaokuta LGA where the LGA chair was apprehended by voters.
“In Yenagoa LGA, observers reported that one person was shot at Famgbe community and, in PU 24 Ward, voting ended abruptly when thugs destroyed election materials at about 11:45 a.m.
“We note that in these area polling units, there was little or no presence of security officials.
“Similar instances were reported in Brass PU 7 Ward 7, observers reported that there were no security agents as late as 10:19 a.m. despite voting having started”.
Jackson said CDD also noted some election irregularities as well as fake news.
He said that days before the election, it was consistently claimed that the SDP candidate in Kogi, Murtala Ajaka, stepped down from the race and on the morning of the election, a false message was circulated that Ajaka was disqualified because of his running mate’s certificate controversy.
He added that there was a similar situation in Imo, where a video was circulated that purportedly showed the PDP’s candidate, Sam Anyanwu, had stepped down and endorsed the incumbent governor of the APC.
He, however, said that the video was similarly debunked but not before it had been widely reported on social media and news platforms.