By Akinwale Kasali
Amid unprecedented lies, blackmail and intimidation, 2.2 million Edo State electorate are exercising their rights of the next person to take over from Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The weeks to the election day were marred by bickering, intimidation, violence, and, on the eve iced with lies and blackmail.
For instance, the report of the disqualification of the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator. Monday Okpebholo by an Abuja Magistrate Court surfaced Friday evening, the withdrawal from the race of the Labour Party, LP Candidate, Olumide Akpata also surfaced. Both reports have been dismissed as fake. And, a last minute attempt to disqualify the Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, Candidate, Asue Ighodalo, also failed.
The inexplicable arrests of PDP members by the Police also continued. It stared about two weeks ago with the Police insisting those arrested were involved in the shooting to death of a Police Inspector attached to Okpebholo, a couple of months ago, along the Airport Road, Benin. The questions are: Why now? Why wait until the election to arrest them over the alleged incident.
But after months of politicking, campaigning, alignment and realignment, 2.2 million eligible voters will throng to their various Polling Units across the State to decide the fate of Senator Okpebholo, Ighodalo and Akpata, the frontliners in the battle for the Osadebe Government House.
According to the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, only 2.2 million permanent Voter Cards were collected.
Following the controversies, violence, glitches and mud-slinging which trailed the campaign, all eyes are on INEC, the Police and other Security Agencies to make Saturday’s poll credible and peaceful.
PDP, the ruling Party in the State refused to sign the peace accord, and called for the redeployment of Edo Commissioner of Police, Nemi Iwo; and Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr Onuoha Anugbum over their alleged closeness to immediate past Governor of Rivers State, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nyesom Wike who worked against PDP in the 2023 Presidential election.
But the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu reiterated that the election will not be a do-or-die affair. He promised that the Commission will conduct one the freest, fair and credible election in Nigeria’s election history.
Though a frontline election monitoring group, Yiaga Africa, has expressed fears that there could be violence in eight LGAs especially as the election would be conducted in a climate of “economic hardship, security volatility and distrust in state institutions and electoral process.”
Yiaga Africa’s chair of the Edo 2024 Election Mission, Dr Aisha Abdulahi, also raised concerns about voter inducement and vote-buying, which she said were going on in different forms in various parts of the state by most of the political parties.
She said: “Yiaga Africa notes the tense and volatile political climate for the election. The campaign period was signposted with strong arm tactics and violence. The activities of cult groups and political thugs intensified amid the proliferation of small and light arms. Yiaga Africa is concerned that politicians will tactically employ violence and intimidation to suppress voters in specific polling units and LGAs.
“Additionally, armed groups and political thugs may disrupt INEC’s deployment of election materials or elections at the polling units to influence the outcome of the election. Yiaga Africa has identified eight (8) LGAs as hot spots for violence. They include, Ikpoba/Okha, Oredo, Egor, Ovia South West,Ovia North East, Esan South East,Etsako West and Etsako East. The volatile security environment in these LGAs necessitates a strategic and neutral deployment of security forces.”
Backing the fears of YIAGA, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the State, Peter Uwadiae, stated that his party was ready for the election, and that they are prepared for a violent free election, but they fear that one of the persons who, allegedly, killed the police officer at the Benin Airport is roaming freely and “we hear he is in Edo Central mobilizing for trouble and distorting the election”
He said, “Our campaign shows our readiness. We have done that which the law allows us to do and our campaign was issue-based. As a party, I can confirm that we are ready. We fear that one of the persons who killed the police officer at the Benin Airport is roaming freely and we hear he is in Edo Central mobilizing for trouble and distorting the election, while other PDP leaders are also doing the same in Edo South, but we remain resolute and committed to peace.”
While expressing readiness for the election, the Deputy Director General of Media for the Asue/Ighodalo campaign, Dr Pedro Obaseki, voiced concerns that the process could be hijacked by thugs.
He stated, “It has come to light that this is part of a larger strategy to compromise these materials in Oredo LGA. Other local governments targeted for similar disruptions include Egor, Uhunmwonde, and parts of Ovia Federal Constituency.”
The Public Relations Officer of the LP, Sam Uruopa, said Akpata and the party were ready for the polls.
He urged INEC to play by the rules and advised security operatives not to intimidate, harass, or molest the electorate.
Uruopa said, “The LP candidate is well prepared, done the needful, gone round 18 LGs and the over 193 wards three times, and he is the only candidate that went to the riverine area with speedboats and he was readily accepted. I can tell you that his preparation is second to none.
“For now, we have not had any fear over the process but we are urging INEC, a Federal Government institution, to be an unbiased umpire and play by the rules of the game.”
