Imo guber poll: How not to conduct a credible election

If rules set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), especially the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and cancellation of over-voting, are still relevant, then the last experience in Imo governorship election mirrors the rules more in gross violation than in compliance, LAWRENCE NJOKU reports.    

There is no foul play associated with end-justifies-the-means politics that did not manifest in the off-cycle governorship election held in Imo State last weekend. Thuggery, ballot snatching, shooting, killing, massive thumb printing, apathy, intimidation, bypass of BVAS, and diversion of electoral materials to private residences, among others characterised the election where the displeased have been told: “go to court.”

Worse of all was the killing of a youth at Amakohia-Ikeduru collation centre in Ikeduru Local Government Area, whose name was given as Chidiebere Oforha. There was also the manhandling of a security official, who allegedly attempted to snatch a ballot box meant for the exercise. While his colleagues, allegedly working in cohort with supporters of one of the candidates in the election, escaped, luck ran against him as he was caught and dealt with.

Indeed, true to the prediction of bookmakers, Saturday’s governorship election witnessed a low turnout of voters in the state.

Few weeks before the election, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) embarked on research to ascertain the level of voting in the exercise had come up with the damning verdict that less than 18 per cent of the electorate would determine the next governor of the state.

The group in the research it conducted with Southeast based Coalition of Democracy and Human Rights Organisations (SBCDHROs), further added that the number of genuine votes would be drawn from about 300,000 voters that may participate in the election.

“This projection was arrived at after putting into consideration the fears, chaos, and bloodletting that deeply affected the state and 65 per cent or 1.8 million of the registered voting population uprooted and forced out of their voting areas; leaving the state with only 600,000 eligible voters, out of which 300,000 may maximally vote”, Board Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi, disclosed.

But results of the governorship election, which returned Governor Hope Uzodimma as winner with 540,308 votes announced by the INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, showed that over 680,000 residents voted in the election.

Checks by The Guardian revealed that the state registered about 2.42 million permanent voter’s card (PVC) holders for the 2023 general elections. Of the number, INEC stated that only 2, 318,919 persons collected their PVCs while 101,003 remain uncollected.

On Saturday, residents abandoned the streets in compliance with the order restricting movements on Election Day, but many refused to come out to vote.

While the polling units were almost empty, in various streets, some young men were seen playing football. Others gathered in the neighborhood to share some bottles of drinks and tell stories about life and the situation of the country .

Even at the polling unit where Governor Hope Uzodimma voted in Ekwenja Okwu-ozu in Omuma Oru East council, scores of boys were seen very busy with their construction work and avoided voting.

Many attributed the scale of apathy to loss of confidence in the electoral umpire, threats, and counter threats by agitators of Biafra Republic, and deepened insecurity in some communities of the state.

For instance, a tricycle driver that conveyed this reporter to Uzodimma’s polling booth 032 in Omuma, lamented the level of sit at home they were subjected to. “We are just coming out of a two-week sit-at-home ordered by a group of Biafra agitators. In these two weeks, our people barely went to their farms or went to the market. Even though it is not in our interest, you have to obey them because if you contravene their order, you may lose your life. Many people have been killed here.

When they notice that you are going against their order, they will not confront you but in the night, they will invade the person’s residence and kill him. That is the situation we have found ourselves in. This is happening even when our brother is the governor,” he stated.

To buttress his position he further quipped, “How many policemen did you meet on your way here? I can tell you that despite the number of policemen mobilised for this election in the state, you won’t find any police checkpoint in this zone. It is serious.

“So that is why you won’t find any serious voting in this place. Some people who are supposed to vote in this election travelled out of the community because they didn’t want to stay here to witness it.

When there are orders and counter orders, my brother, the best for you is to remain in your house. Let them do whatever they want to do and go away.”

Another source stated that people were already aware that the exercise would pose “no contest” for the party in power going by the outcome of the last general elections in the state, which has not changed despite the cries of irregularities.

“Many candidates went to court to challenge what was perceived as obvious rigging and writing of votes, but nothing happened. The judiciary has not found any merit in all those arguments and that is why it is no longer exciting for anyone to go there and waste his time. So, election results could stand in areas where people did not vote, it is a waste of time coming here to expect a miracle.  As far as I know, votes don’t count. They will bring what looks like a shadow of transparency while filling actual result sheets somewhere,” Grace Okwu told The Guardian at Atta, Ikeduru.

However, while they chose to stay away from voting, supporters and those desperate to win the process engaged in vote-buying with the few that came out to vote.

Others used the opportunity to divert materials to the residences of politicians where they were thumb printed without the accreditation process that authorised use of BVAS.

Amounts ranging from N5,000 to N10,000 were easily exchanged for votes, while security officials stood aloof.

It was that amount of trade-off that went by at the premises of the All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Egbu, Imo north when hoodlums operating as unknown gunmen invaded the area and snatched their money.

The Guardian learnt that the gunmen, numbering over 10, snatched over N1.5 million being shared to voters at the four polling units within the cathedral premises.

This reporter, who witnessed the development, saw the gunmen shooting sporadically before swooping on the three men sharing the money.

While the shooting was ongoing, some policemen attached to the place took to their heels, while INEC officials at the scene, lay down as they watched suspected ballot snatchers.

Voters, party agents, and observers, including newsmen also fled the voting centres.

The hoodlums went straight to the four points where the monies were being shared and made away with some of it.

One of the party agents, who pleaded anonymity, said each of the polling units in the place was allotted N1 million, amounting to N4 million for the election.

“But we had already shared a considerable amount of money before the boys struck. I only shared about N500,000 before the hoodlums struck”, he said.

A local observer, Christy Okechukwu, told The Guardian that there was need for electoral stakeholders to be more tactical, stressing that all efforts to have credible elections in the country appear to be hitting the rocks.

“From what I saw of this election in Imo, we are gradually shifting to another level of election in Nigeria.  Remember that the law recommended the use of BIVAS. Now when we held elections in March this year and there was a provision for uploading results to the results voter portal (IReV), this idea did not get backing in most cases adjudicated by the tribunals.

“So, politicians are beginning to know that you can avoid BVAS and do all manner of things and still get favourable pronouncement from the court. A situation where the BVAS does not count and only those benefiting from the government in power now vote is a dangerous dimension.

“Something must be done to rekindle confidence, especially on the side of INEC. INEC is being tasked to go back to the drawing board.  If we get to a level where people will no longer vote during elections after the huge expenses made in preparations, then our democracy is finished.

“Imo State has presented a clear case of a people passing a vote of no confidence on the commission and security officials. They received several assurances, yet they did not come out. There was violence here and there; ballot box snatching; intimidation and vote buying. The few who came out to vote were not allowed in some cases. What that means is that if we don’t do anything as soon as possible, we may as well lose the ones that came out,” she said.

Meanwhile, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the election, Athan Achonu, has called for cancellation of results of polling units where there were what he described as disturbing reports of hijacking of ballot boxes, other electoral materials, and vote buying.

In the same vein, the candidate of the PDP, Samuel Anyanwu. rejected the election and its outcome and called for cancellation of the entire process, following alleged irregularities.

The candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the election, Tony Ejiogu, alleged high levels of vote-buying by the agents of APC during the election.

But the re-elected governor, Uzodimma, gave thumbs up for the conduct of the election.