- Atiku, Melaye Lampoon Bello, Say He Deprived PDP Use Of Stadium
- APC Calls For Release Of Detained Party Chieftains Kogi
- Uzodimma, Others Shun Peace Accord In Imo
- Diri, Sylva Sign Accord In Bayelsa, Begin War Of Words After
Barely 24 hours to the opening of the Off-Cycle Governorship Election in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to play fair with all the candidates.
The Chairman of the electoral commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu in a late statement on Thursday pledged to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates in the elections.
He also promised the readiness of the staff of the commission, saying, “We are determined to ensure that our officials are there waiting for voters rather than the voters waiting for our arrival”.
Hear him; “In less than 48 hours, 5,169,692 Nigerians who collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) are expected to vote in off-cycle Governorship elections. This is the first time in our history that these elections are held on the same day and across three geo-political zones of the country: North Central (Kogi), South East (Imo) and South-South (Bayelsa).
As we approach Election Day, I wish to call on our officials (both regular and ad-hoc) to demonstrate the highest level of patriotism and professionalism. As I said repeatedly, not least during my recent readiness assessment visits to the three States, INEC is not a political party and we have no candidate in the election. Our responsibility is to safeguard the process and ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates. The choice of who becomes the Governor of Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States is entirely in the hands of voters.
We have delivered all sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the elections.
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been configured for deployment to Polling Units as the only means of voter verification and fingerprint/facial biometric authentication of voters. Polling Unit results will be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. All election duty officials have been trained. Arrangements have been made for land and maritime transportation to enable us commence voting on schedule. In spite of the extremely difficult terrain and physical infrastructure in some locations, we are determined to ensure that our officials are there waiting for voters rather than the voters waiting for our arrival.
For these off-cycle elections, the Commission is deploying two (2) National Commissioners, nine (9) Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and Administrative Secretaries (ASs) as well as additional staff from different States to each of the three States to support the process. They will be deployed across the senatorial zones in the States.
Election is a multi-stakeholder responsibility. As with every election, lessons have been learnt from recent elections. We will continue to ensure free, fair and credible and inclusive elections but INEC cannot do it alone. We have received assurances from the security agencies that the environment will be secure for electoral activities and all participants: voters, electoral officials, accredited observers, the media and polling/collation agents. Political parties and candidates have signed the peace accord under the auspices of the National Peace Committee (NPC). Let us maintain the peace and play our roles conscientiously. By doing so, we shall continue to consolidate our democracy” he said.
Ahead of the election, all the candidates are rounding off campaigns and in Kogi State, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Thursday stormed the ancient City of Lokoja the state’s capital to charge the electorate to vote for Dino Melaye, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11 Governorship election.
Atiku, who berated the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello for allegedly denying the PDP the use of Confluence Stadium Lokoja to conduct their campaign rally said it was time to sack the ruling APC to put an end to unfavourable policies in Kogi State.
“They denied us the use of the stadium in Osun State and we later used the party office for our rally. In the end, the PDP sacked them from the government house. Now they denied us the use of the Confluence Stadium Lokoja and booked all the hotels just to stop us from coming here. Despite what they did, you all still came to the party secretariat to show solidarity and support for Senator Dino Melaye”.
According to him, the emergence of Dino Melaye as Governor will bring about good governance and development in Kogi State.
“Dino is committed, courageous and well-focused. He doesn’t kill people like what the present administration is doing in Kogi State. I am appealing to you to come out and vote for people and defend your vote” Atiku stated.
Addressing a large crowd of supporters, the PDP Governorship candidate, Dino Melaye, promised to govern the state with the fear of God.
His words, “Out of the 18 governorship candidates vying for the position of Governor, I am the most educated, experienced and exposed. It is now time to put an end to percentage salaries, corruption, retrenchment and non-payment of pensions in Kogi State. Every Civil Servant was unjustly sacked by Yahaya Bello. Within three months we shall reinstate them all. Don’t vote for any small political party that does not have a political fallopian tube.
“I want the world to note that the present Government in Kogi blocked all the venues for us to hold this rally. Our people coming from Kogi East were stopped and are being shot by those loyal to this government. Despite what they did, our supporters still came here because they were tired of Governor Bello’s tyranny.
Still in Kogi, the All Progressives People Congress (APC) has called for the release of party chieftains arrested and detained by security operatives in Dekina Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi.
Speaking at a news briefing on Thursday in Ilorin, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, the Campaign spokesperson for the governorship candidate of the party, expressed reservations on recent security operations in some parts of Kogi East.
He observed that chieftains of the party were arrested without any justifiable cause in Dekina LGA.
Fanwo, who said the party subscribed to peaceful and free polls, also called for responsible conduct by law enforcement agencies in the state.
He explained the issues surrounding the electioneering as well as the activities of the APC for the Nov. 11 governorship election in the state.
“The APC Governorship Campaign Council has expressed reservations on the recent security operations in some parts of Kogi East, where chieftains of our party were arrested for reasons unknown to us.
“Our chieftains were not involved in any act inimical to the state’s peace and should not have been subjected to such treatment.
“In as much as we subscribe to the peaceful and free poll, we also call for responsible conduct on the part of law enforcement agencies in such a way that innocent citizens are not unnecessarily punished for the sins of others,” he said.
According to him, the party does not condone or defend any act of lawlessness.
“But we make bold to say that our leaders and members that were arrested and detained did not deserve to be subjected to such treatment as they are innocent.
“We call on security agencies to release them unconditionally so they can be reunited with their families,” he added.
The campaign spokesperson said that security agencies must prove that every life is essential.
Meanwhile, Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State, who is seeking re-election under the platform of the APC; the candidates of the Labour Party, Athan Achonu, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Tony Ejiogu, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ben Odunze, were absent at the signing of the Peace Accord organized by the National Peace Committee in Owerri, the state capital, on Wednesday, for all the governorship candidates participating in the Saturday governorship election.
However, in Bayelsa, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Governor Douye Diri, and his APC counterpart, Timipre Sylva, engaged in a war of words shortly after signing the peace accord to commit to the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s governorship election.
Sylva accused Diri of “stoking violence” while the latter alleged that the APC candidate “may have stockpiled arms in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area”.
In Bayelsa, Governor Diri, and his APC counterpart, Sylva, engaged in a war of words shortly after signing the Peace Accord.
While Sylva accused Diri of “stoking violence” the incumbent governor alleged that the APC candidate “may have stockpiled arms in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area,” the governor’s locality.
Nigerians are keen to see how the election will pan out in the three states.
