Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has called for peaceful, free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi, that will be held on 11th November 2023.
The call was made during a press conference on the off-cycle elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa States and State of the Nation on Thursday by the Chairman of TMG, Comrade Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani).
During the press conference, Comrade Rafsanjani highlighted the widespread anomalies that were associated with the 2023 general election which may marred the credibility of the forthcoming election.
The text of the press conference read;
On the 11th of November 2023, the people of Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states will go to polls to elect their state governors. This is the first off-cycle election since the general elections in February and March 2023.
Bearing in mind the widespread anomalies that were associated with the 2023 election regarding the conduct of political parties and politicians, security agencies, the electoral umpire, and political actors that marred the credibility of that election, Nigerians remain concerned about the direction of the off-cycle election.
TMG finds it imperative to call this conference to draw the attention of the public and government to some of the pressing pre-election situations in the three states as well as the state of the nation at large which could have a bearing on peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible elections on 11 November 2023. The issues are as follows:
Insecurity in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa
It is even more worrisome that the pre-election environment in the three states is a concern for the successful conduct of the November 11th elections in the states.
Assessments conducted by our partners including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and Kimpact Development Initiative have reported widespread violence across many local government areas of the three states ahead of the elections.
On the back of this evidence that is before the public, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) would like to remind every stakeholder, especially the political actors, that elections are not war, but a democratic exercise aimed at giving the people the chance to freely elect and decide those who govern over them.
These violent conducts are undemocratic and pose serious threats to the development of democracy in Nigeria. Security agencies need to ensure citizens can vote in a peaceful electoral atmosphere across the three states.
Deprivation of Election Observers in Imo State
It is very disheartening to see in circulation a purported memo from an agency of the Imo state government procuring every room in every single hotel in Owerri covering the period of the election. What this simply implies is that the state government has effectively barred domestic and foreign observers from visiting Imo ahead of the election.
For the sake of democracy in Nigeria, TMG hopes these allegations are not true, and that the purported memo is also not true, as this would present a blow to the democratization process in Nigeria and give others in power the boldness to thwart democratic processes through barbaric acts and practices.
TMG urges the state government to immediately debunk this allegation and assure observers of their safety in Owerri and other parts of the state. Also, the federal government must investigate this weighty allegation and prevail on the state government to revert to democratic tenets.
Ambiguity relating to the Candidacy of the APC in Bayelsa
Fillers from Bayelsa state pointed out that the disqualification of the candidate of the APC by the Federal High Court had set the ground for violence ahead of the election in the state. It is also public knowledge that the Court of Appeal had reinstated his candidacy in the election.
Has this been communicated effectively to the people of Bayelsa to avoid the associated rancour that was already building up?
Suspicious Supplementary Budget for Vote Buying in Off-Cycle Election
TMG also noted the recent supplementary budget by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which has also scaled the second reading at parliament.
The allocation of a whooping ₦18 billion for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to facilitate the conduct of Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi elections is completely shocking as INEC had assured that the funds for the off-cycle elections were parts of funds received ahead of the general election.
To this end, the Commission has since gone ahead to perfect preparations for the election without any complaints about funding. What part of the election is this supplementary budget of N18 billion looking to cover?
Nigerians perceive this allocation as very suspicious and fear that it could be allocated to perpetrate malpractices. Hence, the federal government must explain this huge sum to Nigerians and why it is budgeting again for what has already been budgeted.
The Courts are not Election Management Bodies
Nigerians are keenly interested in these forthcoming elections to see how INEC has improved on lessons learned from the 2023 general election or if the elections are simply going to take a cue from the February and March elections.
It is a break or make dice for INEC in the eyes of the public. Hence, Nigerians are hoping for a transparent election where the courts will no longer be the determinants of election results in Nigeria. It is in line with this belief that TMG shares in the view of Femi Falana (SAN) that election results should be decided by the election management body and not the judiciary.
Judicial Robbery and INEC Connivance in Kano State
The inconsistencies associated with election tribunal rulings have created injustice in the electoral process and the Kano state case is a good example.
After INEC had tabulated votes cast during the election and declared a winner as witnessed by the voting public, political party agents, and security agencies, how then did the election tribunal suddenly find unsigned ballot papers totaling 165,663 votes to sack the declared winner?
The tribunal in creating so much distrust amongst the populace chose to deliver its judgement over the Zoom virtual platform.
Additionally, INEC through its head of legal department in Kano declared that the Commission had no grounds to appeal the judgment which was against its process until it was forced to make a U-turn through public pressure.
This kind of situation erodes citizens’ trust in the electoral and judicial processes in Nigeria as many people have shared the perception that INEC is in connivance with the judiciary to appease the interests of a few people in power.
Nigerians do not want to see the Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa elections going in this direction, creating doubts about the country’s ability to operate a democracy. Hence, all the political actors need to abide by the electoral law and other governing frameworks on elections in Nigeria.
This is important to eradicate any opportunity for the kind of judicial inconsistency and perceived connivance largely associated with the general election.
Supreme Court Detrimental Judgment on Use of Technology
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruling on the presidential election has become another judicial blow on the use of technology to reform the electoral process in Nigeria.
The ruling on the use of IReV has empowered manual collation of results which creates room for falsification of results and other forms of malpractices. Even as INEC has given reassurances on the deployment of IReV for the off-cycle elections, the Supreme Court judgement does not give confidence in technology as the court should have looked at protecting the greater election credibility in Nigeria.
Nevertheless, TMG implores INEC to look back at the credibility of the off-cycle elections in Ekiti and Osun states as a basis for improvement ahead of the November 11 election. The Commission should effectively deploy technology to enhance credibility.
The Political Impasse in Rivers State
The importance of credible elections to good governance cannot be overemphasized. When citizens freely elect their leaders without imposition by the judiciary or any political godfather, the government enjoys legitimacy from citizens and freedom from the whims and caprices of godfathers.
The recent development in Rivers State is a serious concern, a mockery of democracy, and an insult to the sensibility of the good people of Rivers State.
Even more appalling is the conduct of security agencies, especially men of the Nigeria Police Force who have been captured shooting and pouring water in the direction of a sitting governor just to prevent him from accessing the State Assembly which had been set ablaze.
The Federal Government must weigh in and not support rascality for political correctness. We must be seen to be putting in efforts aimed at strengthening democracy in Nigeria rather than balkanizing it for personal reasons.
Forceful impeachments for personal reasons must be resisted as they can only end up promoting violence in Rivers State. This attempt must also be resisted so as not to embolden more power-drunk political godfathers.
Partisan Nomination of RECs by the President
Again, we appear to be making the same mistakes of the past administration where partisan and card-carrying members of ruling political parties are nominated and appointed as Resident Electoral Commissioners of INEC.
Recalling how this manifested in the 2023 election, especially in Adamawa State, Nigerians are worried that the current president is going in the same direction. While TMG notes the constitutional powers of the president to make these appointments, it is also unconstitutional to appoint partisan persons to these positions.
TMG particularly kicks against the nominations of Mr. Etekamba Umoren from Akwa Ibom State and Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne from Edo State.
Mr. Etekamba Umoren is believed to be a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He served as an aide to the current President of the Senate, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, when he was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
He also served as the Chief of Staff to the President of the Senate when he was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. Mr. Etekamba Umoren’s deep involvement in partisan politics is a matter of public knowledge as he publicly defected, along with his boss, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in 2018.
Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne of Edo State is believed to be a card-carrying member of the APC, who is engaged in partisan politics both online and offline.
Before his appointment as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, his Facebook page in his name, Isah Shaka, embarked on campaigns for the APC and its candidates. This depicts his partisanship which disqualifies him from appointment as a Resident Electoral Commissioner that requires neutrality and non-partisanship in line with the constitutional provisions.
Political Parties Failure to Engage in Civic Education in the Off-Cycle Election
It is very disappointing to see that political parties have neglected their role of providing civic education toward the elections in the three states.
The political parties appear to have relegated this important function to the civil society while they concentrate on perfecting their rigging mechanisms.
This also tells a lot about how political parties perceive citizens in Nigeria and that they are more concerned about winning at all costs than engaging in clean citizens-oriented campaigns.
TMG Observation Deployment Plan
TMG has also concluded plans to deploy observers across all the local government areas of the three states. The observers are currently undergoing training and will be deployed to observe and report through a digital on-the-spot reporting tool that has been developed.
At the same time, a Central Data Centre will also be situated in Abuja with trained Data Clerks to collate and analyze reports from the field.
Citizens’ Participation is Crucial to a Credible Election
Finally, TMG calls on the voting populace of Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa to troop out in their numbers to cast their votes for their preferred candidates.
Citizens must understand that democracy is about citizens’ participation and elections present the best opportunity for citizens to express their will and power.
Citizen’s participation especially in large numbers also reduces manipulation opportunities for the political actors. Hence Citizens should desist from aiding and abetting malpractices, shun vote trading, and keep an eagle eye on their votes.
TMG wishes Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states a free, fair, transparent, violent free, and credible election.
