With the stage set for the Edo State gubernatorial election next Saturday, September 19, Nigerians are waiting with bated breath for a free, fair, credible and transparent process. But once again, the build-up has been marred by accusations and counter-accusations of fraud and threats of violence; the actions and inaction of some stakeholders, have forced many, including observer groups to express fears that bedlam may reign. To the extent that President Muhammadu Buhari has come out publicly to warn against “do-or-die” politics; and with the United States and Britain threatening to impose visa bans on election riggers and perpetrators of violence, the dramatis personae in the looming showdown – Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – can write their own names in gold and save Edo and the country the odium of failure. Both men have a historic opportunity to deepen and expand the frontiers of Nigerian democracy. If, as we say, the morning tells the day, then the political parties and their supporters, power mongers, security agencies and all sorts of irredentists who exploit such high stakes situations to sow chaos, should spare a thought for peace and security because electoral violence serves neither the interest of Edo people nor the cause of Nigerian democracy.
Electoral malpractices have become a recurring decimal in Nigeria and have incrementally worsened since the return to democracy in 1999. Something is fundamentally wrong. It is just as well that the two main contenders have signed a peace accord committing to a violence-free exercise. The pledge was made during the signing of a truce deal brokered by the Chairman of National Peace Committee, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah, in Benin City. But that in itself, is an ominous sign that portends to trouble. In a message to voters, political parties, election officials and security personnel, Buhari, in a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, warned against do-or-die politics which he said was “a threat to free and fair elections because the actors are more focused on winning than caring about a fair outcome that reflects the will of the people. I am passionately committed to free and fair elections, but my own commitment is not enough if other actors at ground zero refuse to abide by the rules.” The president appealed to all election officials and security agents “to remain neutral to ensure free and fair elections and avoid any action(s) capable of compromising the integrity of the elections. Conducting free and fair elections is one of my main concerns for our democracy, and I want this commitment to be one of the legacies I will leave behind when I depart office,” the statement quoted Buhari as saying.
Against a disquieting and rancorous nomination fracas with the APC disqualifying its own incumbent gubernatorial candidate, Obaseki; who was forced to decamp to the PDP, from whence Ize-Iyamu had earlier defected back to the APC, the countdown was ominous and replete with forebodings to the extent that the election was never a process that promised to end peacefully. Interestingly, the two governorship candidates, who hail from the ancient Benin Kingdom, have served Edo state in various capacities and on the platform of the same political party before political contests separated them in 2016 during which Obaseki (APC) defeated Ize-Iyamu (PDP). This, of course, makes the 2020 rematch very volatile and divisive. On an optimistic note, it could also make it less so! Nigerians hope the latter prevails. What is more, incumbent Governor Obaseki who is seeking a second term is running on his record of achievements during his first term. While he is entitled to some partisanship as expected of an incumbent governor who would want to exploit the incumbency factor, the least that is expected of Obaseki is to help ensure that the will of the Edo people prevails at the ballot box. That is the only way to guard his reputation as a statesman.
The APC candidate, Ize-Iyamu defeated other aspirants at the APC primaries to win his party’s ticket. The standing view was that Ize-Iyamu was drafted to the APC by former APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to deny Obaseki a second term. Oshiomhole vowed to consign Obaseki to the political dustbins, saying the incumbent governor will not contest re-election on the APC platform. To which end, Oshiomhole Ize-Iyamu to return to APC ahead of covert plans to hand him the APC gubernatorial election ticket. Ize-Iyamu, a pastor, is a former Chief of Staff and Secretary to Edo State government. He was an APC bigwig before decamping to the PDP. Ize-Iyamu was also the National Vice-Chairman, South-South Zone of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He was the director general of Oshiomhole’s second term campaign organization in 2012. He had also once coordinated the office of the Goodluck/Sambo campaign organization on the PDP platform.
Obaseki was managing director and board chairman of Afrinvest (West Africa) Ltd until June 2016. He served on the Presidential Committee on the Reform of the Nigerian Pensions System; and also on the Committee on Reactivation of the Nigerian Bond Market set up by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He is an active member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and currently serves in its Governing Council. He has also served on many NSE committees. In 2001, he was nominated Global Leader of Tomorrow (GLT) by the World Economic Forum. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers and an alumnus of the Lagos Business School. He is the founding and current Chairman of Edo State Economic and Strategy Team which was inaugurated by Governor Oshiomhole in March 2009. So, both men come to the race with good enough credentials as managers and politicians.
Next Saturday’s election offers another important test case and the electoral umpire; INEC should seize the moment to send the right signals about its capacity to organize free, fair and credible elections. With about two million registered voters, INEC has more than adequate material, personnel and security wherewithal to do a diligent job in Edo, if it wants to. In addition to the 31,000 police officers, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said it had deployed no fewer than 1,500 of its personnel to provide security because of the heightened concern of political violence during Saturday’s election. After deploying all the requisite logistics, INEC now has a historic opportunity to try to salvage its increasingly battered public image and gain some measure of public respectability.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, understands public expectations are high that INEC should discharge itself creditably. The fate of Nigerian democracy and the future of the citizens of Edo state are at stake. Over the years, INEC has made Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations; by foisting a strange development neither envisaged by the constitution nor Electoral Act; creating a new phrase in Nigeria’s political lexicon – “inconclusive election.” In Nigeria where political opportunism, cynicism and inordinate ambition is the currency of choice of politicians, the prospect of any “inconclusiveness” over the Edo election should be banished by INEC with fairness in its conduct of the poll.
INEC should ensure that Edo politicians are not given any opportunity to engage in a shouting match to the news media when certain hiccups occur. INEC should work hard to plug all loopholes and save itself any embarrassment. The politicians in Edo State must behave in a decorous manner if they are truly out for service to the people, and the security agencies must show a high degree of professionalism and neutrality. Election is a process that has many components and stages. The Election Day itself is however the most critical, when its integrity can be easily compromised and outcome discredited. Once trust, the building block of credibility of the process is doubtful, people and observers automatically suspect injustice and that can be the trigger of widespread violence.
All told, the people of Edo State should also be conscious of the fact that extant electoral laws empower the election umpire, INEC, to suspend or cancel elections where actions are suspected to have compromised the integrity of the process. That is why all Nigerians need to reflect on the implications of their negative attitude before, during and after elections. The people of Edo should realize that they are the source and the pillars of democracy and good governance. They owe themselves the duty to make it work in their State. They should help deepen democracy by voting peacefully next Saturday and ensuring that all votes cou
