There is a lot of stress building up before the gubernatorial elections this Saturday, November 11 in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states, especially in Imo and Kogi, where the indices are not looking so well.
There is anxiety since violent acts are possible, especially in these two stages.
The situation in both states was identical in the 2023 presidential election.
Residents are anxious about voting in large numbers because of safety concerns, despite their desire to do so, according to informal polls.
They are similarly dubious and anxious that the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would not produce free, fair and credible elections, considering what happened during the 2023 general elections.
Problems have also arisen due to the burning of opposition candidate posters in places like Imo and Kogi, the assault of party members, and the failure of BVAS machines.
APC flag to the party’s candidates in the polls at the Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Villa, President Bola Tinubu had called for free, fair, and transparent elections in the three states.
I only want to see fair elections held. Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Usman Ododo (Kogi), and Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), as well as the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and his National Working Committee (NWC) members, are among the stakeholders President Tinubu believes will succeed.
President Tinubu was certain that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win the elections, based on the efforts of the party’s executives and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), as well as the candidates’ track records.
I’d want to express my appreciation to Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi State, for his tireless efforts to facilitate a transition of power to our candidate, Usman Ododo. We are thrilled to have Hope Uzodinma, the APC Progressives Governors Forum chairman and the party’s greatest hope. I appreciate the hard work you’ve put in thus far.
Congratulations, Timipre Sylva, on your success as a former governor and minister. At a time when elections are taking place, we are all engaged in a struggle for democracy.
Because we have Hope Uzodinma as a candidate, we are confident that we will win every election. I’d want to express my gratitude to our party’s NWC and its tireless chairman for their tireless work on a national scale. President Tinubu said, “He is doing a good job, and I thank him very much.”
An exclusive group of Kogi professionals known as Club 582 has asked President Tinubu to ensure an investigation into the recent deaths in the state, notwithstanding the president’s call for free, fair, and credible elections in the three states.
The group’s leader, Samuel Onekutuon, released a statement on Wednesday saying that despite the presence of security personnel, violent crimes were increasing throughout the state.
Security personnel have been sent to the states of Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa at the direction of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun in preparation for the governorship elections on November 11.
According to media reports, the IGP has ordered the deployment of around forty thousand police officers to the state of Kogi.
According to Onekutu, however, a conflict between political groups on Tuesday killed some people of Anyigba town.
“We, the whole membership of Club 582, an elite organization of like-minded individuals of Kogi State, desire to express our gratitude to the Federal government for its dedication to peace and security throughout the weekend’s election in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states.
Particularly heartening to us is the government’s stated intent to end the violence and senseless deaths that have come to characterize elections and the bleak struggle for power in Kogi State. When it comes to ending the senseless assassinations planned and carried out by political factions in the state, we have no reason to doubt the government’s commitment or sincerity.
However, we are concerned that on Tuesday, Anyigba, the social and commercial capital of Igala territory, saw yet another display of mindless violence despite the deployment of armed forces to the state for Operation Safe Conduct. There are, as usual, competing accounts.
The state’s ruling party allegedly had renegade troops posing as security agents ambush the home of a political opponent, killing five people inside, including a police officer. But another story disputes this, saying that law enforcement officials descended upon the area in large numbers to eradicate the criminal element.
Kogi State has been a war zone for the past eight years, and as a result, the people who live there have lost faith in their government’s ability to keep them safe. It’s hard to hold it against them.
When an election was near, security authorities would reassure the public that everything would be all right. Yet the inverse is true and always has been. In 2019, the government in power made similar promises but then utilized a police helicopter to not only scare away voters but also to kill and maim people.
This is the first election to take place during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. We call on all parties to ensure the safety of our people during the upcoming election and at all times.
Prof. Sylvia Agu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Imo State, is being targeted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for redeployment after the PDP claimed that residents of Imo State would not accept the outcome of an election conducted by Agu.
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s national publicity secretary, issued a statement in which he urged INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to follow in the footsteps of Inspector General of Police Egbetokun, who had previously redeployed the Commissioners of Police in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa in response to similar calls from concerned citizens.
Many people who follow politics closely are concerned that unprecedented levels of violence could break out in the near future, and they are appealing to the security forces in the area to take precautions to protect the voters and inhabitants.
According to reports, Owerri, the state capital of Imo State, is devoid of campaign posters for the state’s opposition candidates.
“Anybody that stands against the APC in Imo State gets crushed. The governor will tolerate no resistance. Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), paid a high price for speaking up on behalf of the struggling Imo workers, as evidenced by his forced resignation.
He was nearly killed in a savage attack by thugs and some cops after being falsely suspected of belonging to the opposition Labour Party (LP).
A concerned Imo resident named Christian Ekezie told DAILY POST that the police’s claim that Ajaero was not arrested but taken into protective custody was a lie. “He was actually arrested after he was brutally beaten,” Ekezie said.
However, the same thing happens in Kogi. No one has been apprehended in connection with the nearly 30 attacks that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate claims to have suffered.
Many people in Kogi still have vivid memories of what transpired during the election in 2019. There was never anything like the degree of violence that marked this election, and many people are worried that if something isn’t done, it will happen again on Saturday during voting in the state.
As in Imo and Kogi, the situation in Bayelsa is not as serious and hazardous as it is in those other states, with the exception of a recent threat attributed to the APC’s deputy governorship candidate, Joshua Maciver.
Maciver was accused of telling APC supporters in the state to drive any troublemakers into the ocean on Election Day.
Let’s make sure we’re all set on the 11th, and don’t make fun of anyone. Anyone misbehaving in Twon-Brass should be immediately pursued, hurled into the ocean, and drowned. Drive them into the ocean and let them drown. Have you heard)? In other words, give pursue and let him (or them) perish. Since this guy certainly won’t be the first to pass away, e no go be the first person to die. “Let’s show them that this time we’re taking it seriously, in a final capacity,” he was quoted as saying.
The state’s governing PDP has also claimed that the opposition politicians are stockpiling guns and training thugs in preparation for a violent, free, and fair election.
Elections in Nigeria, according to Seigha Manager, president of the Niger Delta Nationalities Forum, have always been rigged.
He doubted that the INEC could guarantee free and fair elections in all three states. His fears are not unconnected with the manner INEC flouted its own norms and guidelines during the previous general elections in February and March.
In an interview with mismob, he urged the electoral body to use the upcoming three off-cycle elections to repair its tarnished reputation and win back the trust of the people.
He urged the security personnel to do their jobs and make sure voters could go about their business without fear on Election Day.
He also encouraged hope by adding, “We will fight and ensure that something credible comes out of the elections” despite the many challenges that have been revealed. People need to get ready for the change that many are working to bring about.
Chief Alex Ogbonnia, national publicity secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the main Igbo socio-cultural organization, bemoaned the form of democracy being practised in Nigeria as the root cause of all election difficulties in Nigeria.
According to his interview with MISMOB, the difficulty of holding free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria is attributable to the country’s inability to divide the state and the government.
Former NBA VP Monday Onyekachi Ubani believes that the people of Nigeria will ultimately decide whether or not INEC is competent to produce free, fair, and credible elections.
He pushed the populace to demand that justice be served.
If we find a flaw in any of the procedures, we should sound the alarm, inform INEC of our concerns, and wait for their response before deciding whether or not to fix the problem.
Mismob Media