What Edo guber polls shift means for APC, PDP

Edo people were taken by surprise on Thursday evening with the postponement of the state governorship election by about two weeks, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It came as a surprise to some but not to all, especially the opposition who were so confident of winning the election earlier scheduled for today. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier warned that the election must not be declared inconclusive while the All Progressive Congress (APC) had raised alarm over what it described as importation of militants from the Niger Delta to disrupt the polls. Those who spoke to our reporter believe that the deferment would affect politics in the state.

Besides, the unfortunate postponement played out during a stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, when news filtered out from social media that the police and Department of State Services (DSS) at a joint press conference in Abuja, advised the INEC against holding the election, citing insecurity. Stakeholders at the meeting, including representatives of the 19 political parties declared their preparedness for the election.

Though INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu assured of the commission’s preparedness and the representative of the Inspector General of Police, Joshak Habila, Deputy Inspector General, Operations, also assured of adquate security, it was clear that something was amiss.

Yakubu while giving the assurance said that 18,511 electoral officials had been trained to handle the election and that majority of them were drawn from the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC). He said the commission had successfully implemented 12 of the 14 activities on the election timeline, remaining the distribution of materials on election day.

The chairman explained that there would be simultaneous accreditation and voting, as every eligible voter would be accredited and immediately receive the ballot paper and proceed to vote without break. He insisted that voters must go through the Smart Card Reader for accreditation.

On its part, the police assured of adequate security, saying 25,000 officers and men had been deployed to provide security during and after the election. The IGP said for effective policing during the election, 1,152 Hilux vans and 54 coaster buses would be provided to convey personnel to their various duty posts across the 18 local government areas of the state.

Interestingly, immediately after the meeting, INEC organised another impromptu stakeholders’ meeting where he alerted of the new development and after seeking opinion from all the stakeholders, promised to get to them.

As events were unfolding, stakeholders and civil society organisation prevailed on INEC not to yield to the antics of the security agencies and politics by deferring the polls. But the INEC chairman told them that he could not give a definitive answer and would only get back after a meeting of the commission and security agencies in Abuja.

“I assure you that the independence of the INEC would be jealously guarded and protected. It is only the commission that has the power to fix the date for election,” he said.

By and large, in the last three months, political parties and their candidates for the governorship had criss-crossed the length and breadth of Edo State selling their manifestoes to the people, with a view to emerging victorious at the polls.

Among the 19 candidates, it is believed that the contest is between the APC, Godwin Obaseki, the PDP candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and that of the All Progressive Grand Alliance who somehow managed to extend campaigns outside of Benin metropolis.

The PDP had ruled the state for 10 years under former governors Lucky Igbinedion and Prof. Osareme Osunbor, before he was sacked by the election petition tribunal while the APC is rounding up its eight years under outgoing Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Under the PDP’s eight years in office, Ize-Iyamu was the Chief of Staff and later Secretary to the State Government (SSG) but in that period it is believed that the development of the state retarded.

The APC candidate is the head of the state’s economic team during the eight years of his party’s stewardship, during which pundits believe that the state witnessed some development hence the need to take it to the next level.

While the APC is banking on the performance of the incumbent governor, the PDP is leaning on the economic hardship being experienced in the country to win.

Besides, there are three senatorial districts in the state, namely Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North senatorial districts and in terms voting population Edo South has 58 percent, Edo North has 26 percent while Edo Central has 16 percent.

However, the two governorship candidates are from Edo South, the running mate of the PDP candidate hails from Edo Central and the APC running mate from Edo North.

At about 3pm on Wednesday, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of voter education, Prince Solomon Soyebi, told journalists that the commission will go ahead with the conduct of the election. He explained that the commission was not taking orders anyone.

But at about 7pm on Thursday, INEC made a U-turn and succumbed to the security agencies and rescheduled the election to September 28.

“Such postponement, the commission indicates is necessary in view of the threat of terrorist activities in Edo State and other states of the federation during the election and Sallah period,” Soyebi told the press.

“The deployment of security personnel nationwide to protect lives and property would over-stretch their capacity to at the same time provide adequate security during the election,” he added.

“The commission noted the request of the security agencies and considering the security implication of proceeding with the election, safety of eligible voters, electoral officers and other stakeholders, the commission has decided to reschedule the election to Wednesday 28th of September,” the said INEC national commissioner stated.

The state PDP chairman Dan Orbih alleged that Governor Oshiomhole and the APC orchestrated the shift because of their imminent defeat: “Whether they postpone it or not it was clear that anytime the election is held PDP would win.”

The APC lamented that the postponement was done without inputs from the critical stakeholders. The party’s state chairman, Aslem Ojezua said the timing and mode of communication by the security agencies could have been better handled having regards to the very hard work and huge resources deployed towards the election by all concerned.

“Having regards to the provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act, we are obliged to defer to the decision of INEC particularly when ‘security threats’ have been cited as the reason for the postponement,” he said.

“Although we do not have the details from the security agencies we have, in the past, drawn attention to the influx of militants into Edo State from neighbouring states during the Continuous Voters Registration exercise,” Ojezua remarked.

Pundits believe the deferment will affect Edo politics and the performance of the parties in all future elections. For instance, Kingsley Igbuya said: “Many people have lost interest and confidence in the electoral system. That will definitely impact negatively on the number of willing voters and the overall performance of the political parties at the polls.”

Another analyst, John Abu, noted that the postponement is uncalled for as there was no security threat during the electioneering campaign.

“It is unfortunate that this happened because the people were prepared to vote for the candidate of their choice. No death was recorded during the campaign yet they hinge the postponement on security threat,” he said.

He lamented that billions of naira were invested by political parties, security agencies and INEC, adding the postponement means addition expenses by these body.

Many residents expressed bitterness with the authorities whom they accused of insulting and playing on the intelligence of Nigerians. Some believe the credibility of the election has been eroded while the independence of the commission has been greatly affected.

A resident of Benin, Williams Agbonlahor, bemoaned the postponement, saying: “Shifting the election is not in the best interest of our democracy and on our ailing economy,” he said.

“I think (President Muhammadu) Buhari and the APC need to apologise to former president Jonathan and (Col Sambo) Dasuki who had more justifiable reasons to shift last year’s presidential election, and yet, they were severely castigated. In my opinion, the rating of the APC has drastically reduced whereas that of the PDP has soared,” Agbonlahor said.

However, only the Edo electorate will decide who will be their next governor.

By Usman A. Bello