As Nigerians go to the polls today to vote in governorship and state assembly elections across the country, one other thing that will occupy their minds is their personal safety.
And despite assurances and encouragement by President Muhammadu Buhari and security chiefs for voters to go out and vote without intimidation, pockets of violence are expected due to the volatile nature of some states, especially with what happened during the Presidential and National Assembly elections two weeks ago.
In some other states the battle involving political godfathers and godsons has assumed a frightening dimension, and the political temperature in those states is bound to hit the red zone. Ethno-religious tension will also play out in some states.
Tension in Rivers
By yesterday evening, there was tension in parts of Rivers State following the heavy presence of security operatives, including military personnel deployed to the state ahead of today’s Governorship and House of Assembly elections.
In Port Harcourt, security personnel made up of operatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force and the Nigeria Police yesterday embarked on a parade of “Show of Force” on major streets in the state capital.
The parade, which involved over 20 patrol vehicles and Armed Personnel Carriers (APCs), moved through Aba Road, Ikwerre Road and Azikiwe Road before terminating at Moscow Road where the Rivers State Police Command Headquarters is located.
LEADERSHIP Weekend observed heavy traffic gridlock along the Port Harcourt -Aba Road, one of the major roads in the state, following the blockade of the Waterlines Junction-GRA Junction axis of the road where the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is located.
The state commissioner of police, Usman Belel, had announced during the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) that the section of the Port Harcourt-Aba Road, where the INEC office is located, would be closed to traffic until after the elections.
Belel said: “The stretch of Waterlines to GRA junction on the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway will be closed to all road users on both lanes from midnight on Friday (8/3/2019) till further notice. The public is hereby advised to avoid this stretch as there will be diversion of movement from GRA Junction and at the Waterlines Junction.”
Heavy security presence scares Benue voters
Hundreds of security personnel from the various security outfits deployed to Benue State for today’s elections have been parading the streets of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, in preparation for the Governorship and State Assembly polls.
According to unconfirmed sources, nine additional commissioners of police were said to have been deployed to the state to ensure smooth elections.
Our correspondent observed that instead of the number of security operatives deployed to the state, building confidence in the minds of voters as they patrol the streets, it is rather having a contrary effect because most voters are already scared and are vowing not to come out for fear of stray bullets.
Some people who spoke on condition of anonymity were of the view that the security agents were brought to the state to scare voters away or disrupt the elections so that elections in the state would be shifted to another date.
A housewife, Angbiandoo Asen, who spoke to our correspondent, wondered why the federal government would deploy thousands of security men to Benue State where the presidential and National Assembly elections were adjudged peaceful.
“There must be a hidden agenda to this. When we were crying of herdsmen killing since January, how many security men did the federal government deploy here to guard us?” she asked.
Asen called on the international community to watch Benue closely, adding that her call should not be taken for granted.
Asen’s viewpoint is shared by the chairman of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Benue State chapter, Ruth Biam, who urged security operatives not to carry arms to the polling units in order not to scare off voters but to abide by INEC’s rule of staying 10 metres away from the polling units.
“The mandate of security personnel is to protect life and property and to also maintain law and order. So the expectations of Benue citizens is to see them conduct themselves in a lawful manner and never to allow selfish politicians to use them as thugs before, during and after elections.”
A political reporter, Emmanuel Gwaza, ascribed the heavy presence of security men to the incidents recorded during the previous poll.
He said: “I think the heavy presence of security operatives in Benue is to address the challenges faced during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, except in a situation where these security men are used otherwise.”
Meanwhile, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state see the deployment of additional security men as a ploy by the recently defeated senator, who had called for more security men to use them to rig elections in PDP strongholds.
Religious tension in Kaduna polls
Another state where the political atmosphere is tense is Kaduna State, no thanks to the Muslim-Muslim ticket by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, stirred the hornet’s nest when he picked a Muslim woman as his running mate, a first in the history of the state.
LEADERSHIP Weekend notes that Kaduna is arguably the most volatile state when it comes to ethno religious crisis in the country. From the Zango Kataf riots, Sharia riots and Miss World-related riots, it has been engulfed in one bloody crisis or another. Even last year, the state was engulfed in religious crisis and just before the elections were postponed about three weeks ago, the governor made some comments about killings in Kajuru which some people saw as capable of stoking more violence.
So, political observers were surprised Governor el-Rufai chose a Muslim running mate in a state sharply divided along religious lines.
Read Also:
The state is sitting on a keg of gun powder right now and the result of the election may just be a trigger some hoodlums and miscreants need to ignite another religious crisis in the state.
Even though the candidate of the PDP in Kaduna is a Muslim, Christians in the state are lining up behind him while Muslims are lining up behind the APC candidate. Religious tension in the state is at an all-time high.
Security Concerns In Zamfara Worry Voters
In Zamfara State, there was no report of violence during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, but days after these elections, series of attacks enveloped the state.
Some of the local government areas under siege are Anka, Tsafe and Shinkafi and the tension got to a peak as the the Governorship and State Assembly elections drew nearer. LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that within the week, over 100 persons were killed by the bandits at Kawaye, Kware and Makuwa villages.
It was gathered that three opposition parties, PDP, APGA and NRM, have been making strong statements expressing their readiness to counter any act of compromise on the side of INEC and security agents in favour of the ruling APC.
The governorship candidates of the PDP, APGA and NRM have been holding meetings to perfect their plan for the election. Sen. Saidu Dansadau, NRM governorship candidate, said they have a plan in place to tackle the ruling APC in the governorship election.
Said Dansadau: “It is the duty of every peace loving citizen in Zamfara State to rally support for the opposition to take over power.
We shall watch the votes and ensure strict adherence to the electoral laws”.
APGA governorship candidate, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, expressed optimism that opposition parties would have a common front to face APC at the governorship poll.
Shinkafi accused INEC of colluding with the ruling party in the state in the last presidential and National Assembly elections, but stressed that the opposition parties were now ready for a showdown in case INEC officials behaved contrary to expectations.
On his part, the PDP governorship candidate, Hon. Bello Matawalle, has been advocating for free and fair elections.
He, however, said the electorate in Zamfara State would not condone any act of compromise by INEC and security agents during the election.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that INEC officials were accused of hoarding result sheets during the last election, a situation that generated serious controversy in the state.
However, the leadership of 40 political parties in the state has passed a vote of confidence on INEC and the security agents for the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The parties lauded the courage of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr, Asma’u Sani Maikud, for her dedication and transparency.
They urged members of the political parties to live up to the expectations and preach peace and harmony for today’s Governorship and State Assembly elections in the state.
APC Accuses AA Of Plan To Disrupt Gov’ship Polls In Imo
Meanwhile, the Imo State chapter of the APC has accused the Action Alliance (AA) of perfecting plans to use fake clergymen and security agents to hijack election materials at polling units.
APC campaign spokesperson, Chief Enyinna Onuegbu, in a statement claimed that the AA and its sponsor plan to illegally dress political thugs as clergymen and use them as observers at polling units with the sole aim of hijacking election result sheets.
Onuegbu further disclosed that a consignment of those uniforms had arrived and were being distributed in the state.
He said: “This is to inform members of the public and security agencies in Imo State of the now uncovered plan by the Action Alliance (AA) party and the sponsor of their governorship candidate to illegally dress up political thugs as clergymen and use them as election observers at all polling units in Imo State during the Governorship and House of Assembly elections of Saturday, 9th March, 2019.
“The plan is to use these fake clergymen to hijack election materials, particularly result sheets at the polling units and harm voters.
“To achieve this devilish plan, consignments of clergy uniforms and those of security agencies have been distributed by these agents of darkness whose desperation to hide and continue looting our commonwealth has led them to even disrespect our Christian faith by this plan.”
The party, therefore, called on the people to resist the plan hatched by oppressors and come out en masse to exercise their franchise and defend same at the polling units.
LEADERSHIP Weekend recalls that the Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, an APC chieftain, is sponsoring the AA governorship candidate, Uche Nwosu, who is his son-in-law.
Gov’ship Polls: There Won’t Be Reprisal By Military – DHQ
The Defence Headquarters has assured that despite attacks on its personnel deployed on legitimate election duty during the Presidential and National Assembly polls, there will be no revenge attacks by any military personnel, unit or formation.
The acting director, Defence Information, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, gave this assurance during a media briefing on today’s elections.
Col Nwachukwu commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives during the Presidential and National Assembly elections, saying no one should lose his or her life during elections, whether personnel of security agencies, civilians, electoral officials or observers, both local and international.
“Despite the unfortunate attacks on our personnel by political hoodlums during the last election, the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), as a professional and reputable institution, wishes to reassure the public that no reprisal will be carried out by any military personnel, unit or formation,”
It would be recalled that thugs in Rivers State attacked troops of 6 Division on election duty in Abonnema, Akuku Toru Local Government Area (LGA) Rivers State and killed a lieutenant and wounded two soldiers.
The DHQ, however, noted that the Nigerian Military being a professional one, will discharge its role as enshrined in Section 217.
