Violence, late arrival of election materials and the arrest of suspected hoodlums marred the rerun governorship election in Ekiti State on Saturday
The mayhem, which erupted in Oye-Ekiti, which is the base of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ayo Arise, forced the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the exercise in Oye-Ekiti to Sunday (today).
This was even as the Action Congress accused the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, of piling pressure on President Umaru Yar‘Adua to order a cancellation of the whole exercise.
As at 10.15pm when results from five local government areas had been released, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Segun Oni, was leading with 15,420 votes as against the 15,026 votes recorded for the Action Congress candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
INEC released results of Gboyin, Ekiti South-West, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise-Orun and Ijero LGs.
Fayemi, however, has over 12,000 votes in his kitty which were recorded in his favour as part of the validly cast votes in the 2007 election.
INEC informed journalists that the remaining four local governments where election also took place would be released at 5pm on Sunday.
The officials said the time for the release of the remaining results was fixed because all the stakeholders would be in Oye-Ekiti to monitor the election which was shifted to Sunday because of violence.
However, the AC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said information at the disposal of the party indicated that the V-P was contacted by PDP leaders in Ekiti to try and convince Yar‘Adua to cancel the election, sensing that the candidate of the PDP had lost the election.
Mohammed said, ”We heard it on good authority that the Vice-President is already putting pressure on Yar‘Adua. This is the first time that the PDP would be asking for a cancellation after discovering that its rigging plans have failed woefully. The people of Ekiti have completed the election despite pockets of violence perpetrated by PDP leaders especially in Oye, where Senator Ayo Arise comes from. They have shot and abducted our people. But the youths of Ekiti have said they would all the same defend their votes.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the vice-president were not successful. Calls to the telephone line of his Senior Special Adviser on Communication, Mr. Ima Niboro, did not go through, while a text message sent to his phone at about 8.50pm was not responded to.
Parts of the state where violence erupted were Oye-Ekiti, Igede-Ekiti, Ilawe-Ekiti, Are-Ekiti and Ido-Ekiti.
One of our correspondents observed the arrest of 36 of the thugs, who assembled opposite the gate of Arise‘s residence with charms and weapons, while 25 others were arrested at Igede, Ilawe, Iloro, Are and Ido-Ekiti.
The suspects arrested at Ilawe with guns and an axe, were said to have attempted to burn down the house of the Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Dare Bejide, which the police foiled.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, who supervised the election and the pro-tem Commissioner of Police for the Command, Mr. John Ahmadu, confirmed the arrests in separate interviews with our correspondent.
The chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government, Mrs. Tosin Aluko, was almost mobbed by supporters of the AC when she attempted to enter the collation centre at the Christ Girls‘ School in a car decorated with wedding materials.
She was said to have been spirited away from the scene in a police van, with the AC supporters that thronged the place jeering.
The election recorded pockets of violence, which was effectively contained by the police.
The former Commissioner for Commerce and Industry under the Oni‘s administration, Mr. Dare Omotosho, was also said to have been attacked by thugs at St. Theresa‘s Primary School, Erinwa, while his car was damaged.
At Ehinola compound, Igede III, an illiterate old woman who was deceived into thumb-printing for the PDP by a suspected PDP sympathiser, protested and this ignited a crisis that forced INEC to cancel the result of the ward.
In an interview, a former governor of the state and AC stalwart, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, in his Iyin-Ekiti residence, said he might vote or might not depending on the security situation.
He said, ”I don‘t see why we should not have a free and fair election. I hope the police can maintain this momentum.”
At Usi-Ekiti, a former Minister of Education, Dr. Babalola Borishade, complained of discrepancies in the voters‘ register in three units in Usi Ward, which he said did not tally with the names posted by the INEC.
In an interview with Oni, he said the situation at Oye was unfortunate and that INEC should have allowed the election to take place there.
He said, ”Some people had the objective of not allowing the electorate to vote in Oye. Now, that objective has been partially achieved. It‘s unfortunate that we still practise democracy at this level.
”Every politician has his stronghold; that is the nature of politics. But, if you are confident of yourself, you should not perpetrate violence to achieve a selfish motive.
”Even if thugs prevent people from voting, we still believe that our advantage cannot be obliterated. We have a large volume of advantage. We have a high probability of winning and we are in a comfortable terrain.
”If I lose, all glory to God and if I win, all glory to God. I‘m surprised by the desperation of some people.”
On his part, the AC candidate, Fayemi, condemned the violence in Oye, which he linked to Arise.
Fayemi regretted the postponement of the election and said that he was not averse to the rescheduled election, given his conviction that he would win in Oye anytime.
He said, ”What I can say is that we are going to win this election, provided the police and INEC do their work competently and diligently. We are now moving to the collation stage.
”I‘m a democrat and I will always insist on the right thing; I‘m just a governorship candidate of this party. I‘m not the main leader of this party. I have to consult widely within this party.
”Particularly, we will consult within our members in Oye Wards I and II to see if they are disposed to the idea of participating in an election on Sunday.
”Even, if I don‘t want it to happen and my people say we want to show these people that they don‘t own this place, we don‘t have a choice but to listen to what they want us to do.”
Turnout
There was an impressive voters‘ turnout in most places visited by our correspondents, with the electorate conducting themselves in an orderly manner.
Voting was suspended in the two wards of Oye till Sunday (today) due to the charged atmosphere, following disagreement among party leaders on how to distribute election materials brought by INEC officials.
As soon as INEC officials began to offload the materials, it was gathered that agents of the PDP and AC swooped on them, prompting the INEC officials to return them to the vehicle.
The DIG, Ahmadu, later convened a meeting with INEC officials and representatives of the political parties around 11.30am, where it was agreed that the election should be postponed till Sunday (today).
The INEC officials were said to have cited the Electoral Act, which stipulates that voting should be concluded by noon and insisted that nothing much could be done within the short time left.
Confirming the postponement in an interview with one of our correspondents, the DIG said that he would supervise the scheduled election personally with other senior police officers.
Although he confirmed the arrest of 36 thugs in Oye with charms and weapons, he declined to confirm where they were arrested.
When one of our correspondents insisted that he witnessed the arrest and location of the suspects, Ahmadu said, ”I don‘t know o. I no dey for libel palaver. We caught thugs in Oye.
”We are here to give everybody a level-playing ground. All this violence here and there is just psychological warfare. Help us tell the people not to be afraid because we are equal to the task.”
In Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, streets were deserted following a late night restriction order by the acting governor, Mr. Olatunji Odeyemi, across the state, including areas where election did not take place.
Children were seen playing football on major roads, while eateries, filling stations, markets were closed to business.
One Armoured Personnel Carrier and hot water dispenser, manned by heavily armed policemen, were seen at Fajuyi, which is a hub of business activities in Ado-Ekiti, while roadblocks were mounted in strategic locations across the city.
There was a sharp contrast at Ikere, where elections did not equally take place, as there was movement of people and vehicles, while the popular Bisi Market was open to business.
At Ido-Osi Local Government Area, riot and regular policemen, members of the Civil Defence Corps and members of the vigilance group were dispatched to the various wards at 8.35am.
As at 9.46am in Ido-Osi, no material or INEC personnel was found, but by 10.30am, 10 voters were confirmed to have voted at St. Paul‘s Anglican Primary School, Unit 002 at Osi, where men and women voted separately.
The presiding officer, Mr. Idris Abdullahi, told one of our correspondents that he devised the method for administrative convenience.
Voting could not start until 9am at Unit V, Ward I, in Ido-Osi because voters‘ names were not listed alphabetically, which prompted the INEC official, Mr. Peter Ogah, to call out the names for accreditation before voting could start.
The Electoral Officer at Ido-Osi Ward II, Unit III, Mrs. Nwuche Catherine, who confirmed what she called the encouraging turnout, however declined to give the number of those that had cast their votes.
At Araromi, Ward 1, Unit 5, a Resident Electoral Commissioner from Imo State, Mrs. Maria Owi, who supervised the election said that the poll was peaceful in the area.
In the full glare of the public, an unaccredited agent of the PDP arrived at the centre, trying to persuade voters by monitoring them to the voting point to ensure that they voted for his party.
The REC blamed the confusion that dogged the discrepancy in the displayed voter register and the one used for the election on the failure of the electorate to have identified their serial numbers before now.
At Igede-Ekiti, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA, voting could not start as at 9.30am in some polling stations, while voting started about the same time in Asao Compound, Unit 003.
Voting took place at Ijesha Igan, Ijan and Ise-Ekiti.
Some electoral officials, including youth corps members deployed as polling agents were seen milling round the palace of the traditional ruler of Igede waiting for the materials to arrive from Ado-Ekiti.
Voting materials did not reach Ifaki as at 9am. However, as at 9.45am, 12 people had voted at Awo, Fakeye Hall Polling Unit 009, while six people had cast their vote at Anglican Primary School, Polling Unit 008.
Around 9.30am, one of our correspondents observed a bus filled up with fiery looking men who invaded Ward 047, Ifaki II, whose conduct scared away a group of journalists that had just arrived in the place.
It was also observed that only the PDP agents manned the polling units, while an attempt to speak with INEC officials over the discovery were frustrated by the arrival of the men.
Around 1.30pm, the same bus was sighted coming in to a hotel (Celiat) where Oni used as his base with armed police escort, as journalists were about to depart the place.
At Ifaki, one of our correspondents was threatened with death by two hefty men that rode in a grey Mercedes Benz 190, who ordered him to leave the town immediately despite identifying himself as a journalist.
At Ogbon Iro Town Hall, in Ifaki where Oni voted, there was no police presence, while some of his supporters organised a short prayer session for him.
The INEC officials in the two units, Mr. Jamil Sabiu and Mr. Adeyemi Oyemade, said there were no security problems. But at Iropora, voting had not started as at 10am.
At Ikole, voting started around noon due to late arrival of INEC officials and voting materials.
This was premised on security reasons, as the INEC officials were said to have waited for the arrival of police escorts before moving down to their locations.
Policemen foiled an attempt by some hoodlums to disrupt voting at the polling unit located opposite the palace of Elekole around 11.15am, while normalcy returned thereafter.
Because of the inability of INEC officials to access Orun Ward 10, Units 1, 9 and 10 due to threats of violence, the commission recorded zero for all the contesting political parties.
Olusola Obada
The deputy governor of Osun State, Mrs. Olusola Obada, was refused entry into the Independent National Electoral Commission office around 9.30am where she had gone in a convoy of five sports utility vans in company with Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
Men of the State Security Services who manned the gate, however, allowed Adeleke into the premises when he introduced himself as the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC.
Obada immediately drove out of the area.
But Adeleke‘s almost one hour visit was greeted with protests by supporters of the Action Congress, who were around in the INEC office, while shouts of ”thief, thief” trailed his vehicle as he departed.
In an interview with our correspondent before leaving the place, Adeleke said that his status as a committee chairman with oversight function on INEC warranted his visit to the INEC headquarters.
Adeleke said, ”My oversight function entails monitoring election to ensure that they conform to the Electoral Act and guidelines for a free and fair election. I was at Cross Rivers, Sokoto and other places as well.
”I‘m not here to do anything more than that. I‘m not here to tell anybody to vote for this or that party. And during my monitoring, I observed little skirmishes here and there.
”I‘m not here to assist the PDP in any way. I‘m not here to manipulate for anybody. I‘m just performing my oversight function. There is no need for this anxiety.”
Asked why he came in the same convoy with Obada, the Senator simply said that he came on his own and that he entered the premises alone.
At a point during the interview, the atmosphere became tense as the AC supporters strongly protested his presence, at which point the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Chief Olusola Adebayo, came into the scene.
Encircled by the supporters and bombarded with questions on the propriety of the presence of a PDP Senator at INEC office at that moment, the REC said, ”Adeleke was not supposed to be here.”
She said further, ”I did not receive notice that he was coming. I will (pleading) go inside now and see what is happening. You can see that I‘m just coming from the NTA. Please.”
But INEC spokesman, Mr. Phillip Umeadi, told our correspondent in a separate interview that the senator had not contravened any law.
He said, ”You will appreciate that it is still 12 (noon). Voting is still going on in the respective polling units. I can understand the apprehension of politicians.
”But you have just been able to appropriately describe his status. He has been monitoring. If you see what I have here, he was the one who passed this information to me.
”Apart from this one, he just came back from monitoring and said to us that in one of the Igede Wards, there was no security. He also said that in Iyemero and Itapaji, in Ikole LGs, there was also no security and thugs are mobilising there.
”We thanked him and we are seeing him off. It is his responsibility as Senate Committee Chairman on INEC to see that we are doing the proper thing.
”Because he has the responsibility also to his primary constituency in the Senate to let them know what is happening in Ekiti, he came in here and said to us that we should be able to do something about these two areas because thugs were mobilising.
”The point is that he is not coming here as working in INEC. His report will not be on what INEC is doing, but generally on what happened in Ekiti.”
At Igbemo and Eyio, in Irepodun LGA, observers were beaten up and allegedly chased away by some political thugs.
At Surulere Street, Ward I, thugs seized the micro tape recorder of one of our correspondents, his complimentary cards, identity cards and bundled him into a car piloted by one Yunus Onyebe.
He was detained briefly at Omuo-Oke Police Station on the excuse that he was a fake journalist, while one Abiodun, a Chief Superintendent of Police warned him not to interview anybody after releasing his seized property.
The correspondent identified the leader of the gang that attacked him as one Ayo, a.k.a., Ozo.
At Okemesi, some thugs wearing PDP tags were seen with voting materials in a bush, while an attempt to capture the scene led to the seizure of the camera of a correspondent with The News magazine, Mr. Gbenro Adesina.
The large presence of thugs who milled round some polling units visited by our correspondent at Omuo-Oke intimidated the INEC officials from granting an interview.
At Omuo-Oke, Ayegunle Quarters Unit Ward I, three houses were attacked by thugs, which residents said had been a recurring decimal during elections due to boundary dispute.