The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) once again was the centre of attraction as voters trooped out nationwide to perform their civic duties in the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections held last Saturday, March 18, 2023.
The elections were earlier scheduled take place on March 11, but INEC said it needed more time to back the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS) devices which were previously used for the Presidential/National Assembly elections and this led to the delay of the exercise for one week.
INEC had before Election Day given Nigerians the assurance that the election would be free and fair as it had learnt its lesson from the controversy that trailed the February 25 presidential election.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, said that the processes and procedures leading to the elections had been successfully finalised.
So, amid hopes of a hitch-free exercise, Nigerians finally trooped out to various polling units to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice.
INEC officials and materials for election, it was observed, arrived safely and on time in most polling units across the country. Impressed, voters praised INEC for improving on its performance in the previous elections, particularly for enabling them to cast their votes quickly and return to their various homes. There were heart-warming reports that BVAS devices worked seamlessly and accreditation of voters took place at the various polling units without unnecessary delays.
Apart from the lapses on the part of security personnel in some parts of the country, which gave room to embarrassing disruptions at the polls, INEC had used the window provided between the two elections to perfect its act.
INEC had said it carried out training and retraining for its ad-hoc staff before the elections. This was clearly evident in the manner in which the elections were conducted.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State commended INEC for the conduct of the House of Assembly election in the state. He described it as peaceful, seamless and an improvement on the February 25, 2023 presidential and national assembly elections, which drew so much condemnation from voters and observers across the country.
The governor spoke after casting his vote alongside his wife, Dr. Gloria, at 9.07am at Ward 6, Unit 4, Kalama-Oweiwari in Sampou Community, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.
While commending INEC for the early arrival of officials and materials at the polling units, Diri said reports indicated that it was generally the same story across the state.
He said: “The voting process was quite seamless and very fast. So I believe that INEC has improved upon the previous election from what I just witnessed from my own polling unit in ward 6 unit 4 here in Sampou. Kudos to INEC for what I have seen today.”
Also, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State appreciated the general conduct of the March 18 elections in the state.
Tambuwal made the commendation shortly after he cast his vote at Community Girls’ Secondary School, Tambuwal in Sokoto.
He described the exercise as generally secure and free of rancour.
“There is a lot of improvement when compared with the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should keep to its promise of ensuring an all-inclusive election across the country.
“We were highly disappointed with the way INEC conducted the last elections in which the process experienced a lot of irregularities. Comparing it with the current elections, the situation is highly different from the report we are receiving so far across the state,” he said.
The governor added that if the situation was sustained to the end, the will of the people would truly prevail at the end of the exercise.
“The election materials arrived at most of the polling units on time and so far, there is no issue of BVAS malpractice.
“However, the government needs to ensure the recruitment of more security personnel to address the shortage of manpower in the country,” he added.
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and incumbent Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, said the voting exercise was good and excellent, noting that lNEC ought to improve on its performance and move away from the past.
He called on the Commission to redeem it image from the allegedly poor conduct of the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections, which fell below the expectations of Nigerians and the International community.
Fintiri said the fact that he did not receive any serious complaint about the governorship and state assembly elections in the state meant that the elections were peaceful.
Also speaking on the elections, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Aishatu Dahiru Binani, commended the exercise.
Binani, who voted at Bako Ward in Yola South Local Government Area, said INEC deserved commendation for the way it handled the exercise.
She commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise adding that she did not received any news of security threat INEC also received commendation from the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.
Soludo particularly commended INEC for commencing voting early enough in the state.
He gave the commendation shortly after voting at Polling Unit 002, Ofuiyi Square, Umueze, Isuofia in Aguata Local Government Area.
The governor said he received reports that the exercise was going on fairly well in terms of deployment of logistics and timing of the election process, describing it as a great improvement, compared to the previous election, in terms of the arrival and deployment of materials.
In Akwa Ibom State, Governor Udom Emmanuel expressed delight over the smooth conduct of the governorship and state assembly elections in his home Local Government Area of Onna and by extension, the entire state.
Speaking to journalists soon after casting his vote at Awa Iman Ward 1, Polling Unit 1, within the Civic Centre, Governor Emmanuel said that although the elections might not be 100 percent perfect, the conduct was excellent in Akwa Ibom.
“What interests me most is the peaceful conduct. I just pray that it will be replicated across the country. No system is 100 percent perfect. If we can score 90 percent here with only 10 percent error margin, we will still be excellent.
The Lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, Hon. James Faleke, who arrived at his polling unit around 9:12am to cast his vote on Saturday, expressed confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Faleke said that the voting process was peaceful and seamless, saying that it took him a few minutes to cast his vote.
Also, the Chief of Staff to governor of Lagos state, Mr Tayo Ayinde, applauded the electoral body for their early arrival and the good pace at which they carried out the exercise.
However the electoral body was also blamed for some lapses that were noticed during the elections in some states of the federation.
The Labour Party condemned the conduct of the elections across the country, describing the exercise as “a complete sham”.
“The leadership of the Labour Party has watched with trepidation the ongoing rape of democracy in Nigeria as being supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,” its National Chairman, Julius Abure, said in a statement last Saturday.
He decried that “serious” thuggery, violence and suppression of voters prevailed unchecked as people were prevented from going to vote for candidates of their choice, “especially when they perceived you are supporting the opposition party.”
The LP chairman cited incidents of ballot box snatching, intimidation of voters and high level of vote buying, saying electoral crimes were “very visible” in Rivers, Lagos, Enugu, Edo, Delta, and several other states.
According to Abure, the conduct of the polls by INEC clearly showed that the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections was a “well-orchestrated plot to favour a particular political party and candidate.”
Also, a member of the Campaign for Democracy, (CD) Comrade Sola Olawale, said that while the BVAS seemed to impress voters, relative to the February 25 elections, and the exercise kicked off on time at many polling units, some people experienced disruptions and delays.
“One prominent case was the affluent Victoria Garden City (VGC) in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, where the exercise failed to be conducted,” he said.
He said that after the situation gained attention online, the Lagos State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Segun Agbaje, was forced to appear in person at the location to address the situation.
Olawale said that when Agbaje arrived, he said there were eight polling units at VGC with 6,024 registered voters and out of which 5,624 people had their PVCs.
Agbaje also remarked that two other polling units at the estate’s main gate were also affected.
He said INEC later gave further directive to shift the election to the following day, Sunday, March 19.
According to Olawale, elections did not hold in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. “It was gathered that a heated disagreement broke out at the Registration Area Centre (RAC) in Buguma over the absence of INEC electoral officers and result sheets, which required the intervention of security agents to bring them under control.
“Meanwhile, videos widely shared on social media showed Lagos-based voters with cuts and bruises, claiming to have been subjected to severe flogging and gruesome stabbings by hoodlums wielding canes and various sharp objects,” he said.
He is of the opinion that INEC, though it improved on the earlier election conducted in February, needs to do more for future elections in then country.
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
