Nine months after the March 19, 2016, violence-ridden, inconclusive re-run elections
in Rivers State, the obviously weary
electorate will go to the polls tomorrow
to elect
their representatives in the upper and
lower chambers of the National Assembly. One, therefore, expects that Saturday
polls would bring to an end, the tortuous
journey of people of Rivers State, electing their representatives, close to two
years after the 2015 general elections.
Many are patiently
waiting to see how the intrigues trailing the election would play out. For
those who are familiar with the dynamics of the politics of the oil-rich state,
the two power brokers to watch out for are the state governor, Nyesom Wike and
his estranged friend and current minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.
Predictably, they are back to trenches once again even as their legion of
supporters get set for a fresh test of superiority in the state’s turbulent
political turf.
When the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared
the National Assembly elections, held in Rivers State on March 28, 2015, and the
April 11, 2015 House of assembly
elections in Rivers inconclusive,
citing violence, which culminated in
senseless killings, electoral fraud and general insecurity in the state, some
optimists thought the rerun elections of
March 19, 2016, would have been devoid of acts which in the past, resulted in
inconclusiveness of elections in the state.
But they were proved
wrong as the exercise was again, suspended
because of massive electoral
fraud, violence and killings that even
claimed the life of a Youth corps
member, Okonta Samuel Dumebi, among
others. So many issues have trailed the exercise in the oil-rich state.
Deluge of
postponements:
Following serious complaints, mainly from politicians, INEC again, agreed to
conduct the polls on June 30, 2016, after
a meeting in Abuja on June 20, 2016, with the political parties, civil
society groups and other stakeholders. The INEC, through Secretary to the
Commission, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, explained that the postponement was as a result of reported violence in the
state.
Ogakwu had said: “As
a responsible organisation and
conscious of the
violence, maiming and fatalities which accompanied the previous election
in March, as well as developments in the state since then, the commission
cannot ignore such credible reports.
In the circumstance,
therefore, it is compelled to further postpone the rerun legislative elections
in Rivers State, as one of the principal conditions earlier stipulated for the
rerun of the state for the conclusion of the election has, regrettably not been
met.”
The Commission
further appealed to the political gladiators in Rivers
State, to make efforts
to douse the tension, to pave the
way for free and fair election.
The endless
wait for Rivers re-run:
After the March 19, inconclusive
rerun, and June 30, 2016, postponement, INEC appeared
not ready to conduct
any other elections
in Rivers State in the nearest
future. But this did not go down
well with some individuals
and political parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
which accused the Commission of plotting to deny it, its imminent
victory at the
rerun polls. Apart from accusing
the electoral body
of denying Rivers people
of quality and full representation
at the legislative arm of government, especially the National Assembly. According to
Rivers PDP, the
delay was also aimed at giving
APC candidates, especially, the Rivers South East Senatorial District
candidate, Senator Magnus Abe, edge over his PDP opponent, Olaka Nwogu.
The dust raised by INEC’s delay
to conduct the legislative rerun election in Rivers State refused to
settle, thereby, compelling the governor
to raise the alarm and told whoever
cared to listen that INEC and APC had a hidden agenda. The issues raised by the
governor and others, attracted the sympathy of PDP across the country,
including the National Assembly members.
Senators to the
rescue:
The National
Assembly, the Senate, precisely, decided
to intervene in the Rivers re-run debacle, when, on Wednesday, November 2,
2016, it ordered the INEC to conduct the
rerun election in Rivers State not later than December 10, 2016. The Red Chambers
threatened to suspend plenary sessions, if INEC failed to conduct all the pending re-run
elections into legislative positions in Rivers State. The order followed the
unanimous adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance,
sponsored by Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, PDP, Enugu East
and Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South.
While moving the
motion, Senator Ekweremadu explained that failure on the side of INEC to
conduct the re-run elections in Rivers
State within the time frame, as ordered by the respective Election Petition
Tribunals/Courts was in total breach of the Electoral Act and Section 76 of the
1999 Constitution. According to Senator Ekweremadu, the action of the electoral
umpire in Rivers State was endangering
the nation’s democracy.
Ekwermadu had noted:
“Non representation of the entire people of Rivers State in the Senate and some
constituencies of Rivers State in the House of Representatives and State House
of Assembly, is in breach of Section 14
(2) (c) of the 1999 Constitution, and endangers peace and order in the State.
“Failure of lNEC to
conduct election in Rivers State has continued to deny the people of Rivers
State their constitutionally guaranteed rights to be represented in the
Legislative Houses where laws affecting them are being made, and has engendered
palpable anxiety amongst people of the State.
“Aware that lNEC had successfully conducted elections in
the North East of Nigeria, especially in the areas around Sambisa Forest in
spite of the area having been acknowledged worldwide to be ravaged by terrorist
activities.”
Senator Ali Ndume
gave different perspective to the rerun
day, while contributing to the motion. He said: “Imagine that we are about to
discuss PIB without any member from Rivers State. Some of our colleagues here today
thought that they won, while others
believe that they did not win. Let us remember that any of us could be in that
position. If for whatever reason, elections were not conducted in my state, I
would not be here, let alone being the
leader of the Senate. How will I defend my people, imagine the bill on the
NEDC, how would we have brought it and passed it. Our colleagues are out there
and it is not their fault, we have a new leadership in INEC and we know the
history: inconclusive, inconclusive suspension and sometimes confusion. We have
a capable government and we must get the
voice from here.”
INEC succumbs:
After the Senate’s
order to INEC, to conduct the rerun elections
in Rivers, not later than December 10, 2016, the Commission, on November
3, 2016, announced that it had fixed December 10 for the conduct of the
outstanding national and state assembly elections in the state.
The Commission, in a
statement signed by its Secretary, Mrs. Auguta Ogakwu, also said December 3 was
approved for election to fill Ifako/Ijaiye seat of Lagos State in the House
of Representatives.
According to the
statement, the Commission would, the same day, conclude rescheduled
councillorship polls in some area councils in the Federal Capital Territory.
“After months of
intensive planning and wide
consultations, INEC has approved the conduct of Lagos’ House of Representatives
election on Saturday, December 3, 2016. Federal Capital Territory
councillorship election will also hold on the same day.
Expectedly, the
Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom
Wike, commended the Senate for rising to the occasion, in defence of democracy
as it concerned the rerun elections in the state.
He restated the
importance of the state, getting its
full representation in the National and State Assemblies.
INEC to deploy
10,294 staff:
According to INEC,
10,294 staff would be deployed to conclude tomorrow’s re-run National and State
Assembly elections.
The information was
contained in its daily bulletin, issued
in Abuja recently. It said 14
categories of staff would be deployed to
make up the 10,294 figure.
According to INEC,
the categories would include: three
Returning Officers for the three Senatorial
Districts (DC); eight Returning Officers for Federal Constituencies (FC)
and 10 Returning officers for State Constituencies (SC).
The Commission
explained that the categories included, 23 Local Government Areas (Collation
Officers, 221 Registration Area (RA), Collation Officers; 57 Collation Officers
(for Collation only at RAs and 231 Supervisory Presiding Officers.
Also to be deployed,
the bulletin further disclosed, were
1,840 Presiding Officers; 6,609 Assistant Presiding Officers (I, II and III)
and 661 Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs).
Others are 363
Reserve APOs; 21 Constituency Supervisors; 24 LGA Supervisors and 223 RA
Supervisors.
The elections would
take place across 21 constituencies which include, three Senatorial
Districts, eight federal constituencies and 10 state constituencies.
The three senatorial
districts are; Rivers East Senatorial District; Rivers West and Rivers
South-East.
The eight Federal Constituencies are; Akuku-Toru/Asari
Toru; Degema/Bonny; Okrika/Ogu-Bolo; Etche/Omuma; Ikwere/Emohua; Khana Gokana;
Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo and Opobo/Nkoro/Andoni.
The Bulletin further
disclosed that State Constituencies
where election would also hold were;
Eleme, Gokana, Asari-Toru I, Asari-Toru II, Andoni, Khana II, Etche II, Ikwere,
Bonny and Degema.
Confusion:
Election in Tai
local government area has been in contention and a subject of litigation. Since
after the March 19, 2016 rerun elections, there had been claims and counter
claims of victory in Tai, by the two major political parties, in the state, PDP
and APC. While APC is laying claims to winning in majority of the wards and
units in Tai, a claim which seems to
have the endorsement of INEC, PDP went to the court to challenge the electoral umpire, asking it not to
declare the results of Tai local government area rerun elections. INEC, on the
other hand, said it would conduct tomorrow’s rerun elections in only three
Wards and some Units in Tai local government area.
But the state
governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has
rejected the decision by INEC to conduct
elections in only three wards and some units in the local government area. “I
will not accept INEC’S decision on Tai
rerun,” he declared. As this was still going on, a Federal High Court in Port
Harcourt, on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, ordered
that the results of places where
elections were suspended
in the March 19, 2016, rerun
elections be announced. The places
included, Eleme, Gokana, Khana, Tai,
Bonny and Andoni Local Government Areas.
The order was given
by Justice Mahkmud Liman, in the matter instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the results of
the rerun election in Tai Local Government Area.
But the court was
silent on whether fresh elections should
be held in Tai or, whether INEC should only conduct elections, where they were yet to be concluded in the LGA.
In the judgment,
Justice Liman said that the APC could
not also claim victory, since INEC was yet to issue a certificate of return to
its candidate, adding that only INEC could announce the result of any election.
He also said the Law did not allow INEC to postpone election indefinitely
without fixing a definite date.
The trial Judge also
berated INEC for shady organization of elections in the country, urging the
electoral umpire to improve on its conduct of elections, devoid of
controversies.
Justice Liman,
however, urged all parties in the matter to be guided by the constitution and
the Electoral Act.
The judgment has
again raised dusts, as different persons,
political parties, lawyers, among others, are giving it different interpretations.
While those in the
camp of PDP are saying that the judgment implied that a fresh election be held in Tai local government area, and the result of
election emanating from tomorrow’s election, those in the camp of APC are not seeing it that way. To APC, it is only the Election Tribunal that could decide
on Tai March 19 rerun election and not the Federal High Court.
No doubt, the case
of Tai local government area may be a potential danger to the conclusion of
tomorrow’s legislative rerun elections in Rivers State.
SUNNEWSONLINE
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