Diri. Photo/FACEBOOK/ DuoyeDiri
• Ohanaeze displeased, federal lawmakers demand review
• HURIWA seeks reform as Yiaga, CDD lament missed opportunity
• AYCF, Akeredolu, others hail INEC over ‘credible’ exercise
• Uzodimma commits to serving Imo people, thanks electorate
Like the proverbial rain that wets one side of a tree and leaves the other dry, not everyone has been smiling following Saturday’s off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states.
Following declaration, yesterday, by Bayelsa State Returning Officer, Prof. Faruq Kuta, that the incumbent, Governor Duoye Diri, had won, ecstatic supporters and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defied a heavy downpour to express their joy over the outcome.
According to Kuta, Diri, having polled the highest number of votes and having met conditions specified in the Electoral Act, was the clear winner. He was, thereafter, declared the duly elected governor, after polling 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva, who garnered 110,108 votes.
Total number of votes cast was 291,212; voided votes were 3,668, while valid votes were 287,534.
The governor defeated Sylva in six out of the eight local councils: Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia, Yenagoa, Sagbama, Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw, while Sylva won in Nembe and Brass. The Labour Party’s (LP) candidate, Udengs Eradiri, won none.
Diri, in a statewide broadcast, pledged to be governor for all people of the state, irrespective of their political inclination.
“I want to place on record our gratitude to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for allowing the environment for what has been a free, fair and credible election,” he said.
While appreciating the people for electing him for another four-year term, he said: “This victory would not have been possible without the mighty hand and grace of the Almighty and the overwhelming support you have shown towards me and my Government of Prosperity.
“I am deeply humbled by your overwhelming expression of confidence and by your mandate to serve you for another four years.”
But apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, was not pleased, saying it “strongly condemns recurring irregularities” witnessed during the polls.
“The elections were marred by widespread voter apathy, vote buying, violence, and use of compromised and biased Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officers by politicians to manipulate the electoral process and declare themselves winners through fraudulent means,” it said.
In a statement by Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo firmly believes that INEC is a weak institution that urgently needs restructuring. The management team, led by Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has failed to ensure free, fair, and credible elections across the three states. We demand a complete overhaul of the management team to restore confidence in the electoral process.”
Although it congratulated Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Usman Ododo of Kogi, and Duoye Diri, Ohanaeze Ndigbo insisted: “The prevalence of irregularities, such as voter apathy, vote buying, violence, and compromised INEC staff, has significantly undermined the democratic process. This situation erodes the trust of the electorate and jeopardises the very foundation of our democracy.”
It added: “The National Assembly must take immediate action by enacting new laws to end off-cycle elections, as they continue to sap the strength of our democracy.”
Similarly, at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, 31 federal lawmakers asked INEC to invoke the provision on review of false declaration as provided in the Electoral Act; recalculate the Imo governorship election results; and declare the PDP winner.
The lawmakers, who were led by House of Representatives member (Ideato North/South), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, said: “We declare him (Uzodimma) a self-imposed governor. We have already exposed evidence of massive over-voting from results of BVAS machine accreditation, which showed very low turnout and results showing high turnout.”
They alleged that moves were ongoing to illegally upload accreditation figures to tally with “fraud that was committed on Saturday”.
The aggrieved lawmakers affirmed that more than 90 per cent of the votes allocated to Uzodimma “were not votes that passed through the accreditation process as the turnout in the election was very low, and this could be because of the insecurity in Imo State”.
They added: “It is an act of treason for a person to get himself declared as governor of a state. The security agencies should swing into action and arrest everyone involved in that heinous crime.”
While the lawmakers fumed, civil rights body, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), warned that the electoral “heist” in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi could trigger mass boycott of subsequent elections, unless INEC is unbundled and reformed.
National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, claimed that the speed at which results in Imo were collated and announced, even when “no election took place in about four local councils in Orlu and Okigwe senatorial zones, showed that INEC has persisted in electoral crimes because of past impunity”.
Onwubiko said: “INEC is populated by far too many electoral robbers; so much so that it will take clinical overhaul of personnel and injection of incorruptible and patriotic electoral managers for prospective voters not to boycott, en masse, any other election to be conducted by the current INEC, which is severely ethically challenged and corrupt. INEC, as currently constituted, is deeply infected by the virus of corruption and inefficiency.”
He said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, in the interest of constitutional democracy, should put their personal political ambitions aside and resolve to deliver to Nigerians the long sought after critical reform of INEC.”
In its own submission, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) said the election in the three states was a setback on past gains recorded in the nation’s electoral process.
At a press conference, a member of the CDD Election Analysis Centre, Prof. Jinadu Adele, said: “Abuse of the power of incumbency for unfair partisan party-political electoral advantage by the governing parties in the three states is a major factor posing challenge to the conduct of election in the country.”
On its part, election monitoring group, Yiaga Africa, said INEC missed another opportunity to rebuild citizens’ trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.
In a statement, it said the elections were a test of the commitment of key democratic institutions, such as INEC, security agencies and the executive, to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
“Yiaga Africa is concerned about continuous decline in the quality of our elections and the penchant to lower integrity standards, irrespective of reforms introduced by INEC and progress made in reforming our election legal framework. The November 11 election was another missed opportunity to rebuild trust and confidence in the electoral process,” the group said.
It noted that the elections in Kogi and Imo “reaffirm lack of commitment to democratic principles and credible elections on the part of electoral stakeholders”, adding: “Yiaga Africa urgently calls on INEC to review and conduct a comprehensive audit of the Imo governorship election results to inspire confidence in the process and its outcome.”
BUT Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) praised the conduct of the governorship polls. It also commended INEC Chairman, Yakubu Mahmood, saying the polls restored the commission’s integrity.
AYCF President, Yerima Shettima, in a statement, described the elections as free, fair and credible; thanks to the efforts of INEC.
“We are pleased to associate with the outcome of the election, which was patently transparent and credible. The election results were a clear reflection of the will of the people, and we are confident that they will serve as a model for future elections,” he said.
Also, the chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum and Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, commended the “diligent efforts” of INEC.
He said: “INEC’s unwavering commitment to improvement was evident in its commendable performance during the Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa polls. We anticipate the commission sustaining this impressive trajectory as we strive to meet the aspirations of our people for enhanced progress.”
Optimistic that “these recent elections should serve as catalysts for further improvement,” Akeredolu said the processes “affirm democratic gains and highlight ongoing improvements in our electoral system.”
Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, also described the victory of APC as an affirmation of the confidence citizens have in the ruling party to extricate Nigeria from current economic woes.
He said the victory of Usman Ododo in Kogi was a “resounding success” and reflects the trust and confidence the people of Kogi have placed in the newly elected to lead them into a future of progress and prosperity.
MEANWHILE, Uzodimma has dedicated his victory to God and the people of Imo State, who turned out to vote for him.
In a broadcast, yesterday, he appreciated Imo people and all those who contributed to ensure he was re-elected.
Uzodimma’s thank you broadcast reads in part: “It is with a deep sense of humility, appreciation, and an abiding faith in God that I humbly accept the great honour and privilege to serve as your governor for a second term of four years.
“I must confess that I am truly humbled and deeply appreciative of every single vote I received across the 27 local councils in the state. They all contributed to giving me a clear, historic and unprecedented victory over my opponents.
“I do not take this victory lightly. I am aware of your desires and expectations. In this regard, let me reassure you that I will continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to Imo people under our 3R mantra of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery.
“I will continue to provide a transparent, accountable, and transformative leadership to Imo people. I will continue to provide an inclusive platform for all Imo people to have a say on how they are governed. These are my promises, and I believe this was why you voted for me. And I will keep to the promises.”
The Guardian
