Poised to fight on against the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to outright cancel the recently conducted governorship election in Anambra State despite public condemnation of the exercise, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday formally petitioned INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, seeking the cancellation of the election and the organisation of a fresh election, instead of the supplementary election planned by the electoral body.
In the petition, APC also demanded that the Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu, and members of “his syndicate who ruined the 16th November poll should immediately be arrested and prosecuted” and that the REC should not be allowed to conduct the freshly demanded election.
“These are the ways to rebuild public confidence in your Commission and restore the integrity of the electoral process”, the party wrote in the petition, dated 18th November and jointly signed by its Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and Interim National Secretary, Alhaji Tijjani Tumsah”.
It urged INEC to discontinue all arrangements for the conduct of the supplementary election, and demanded that no candidate in the election should be returned as the winner pending the conduct of a fresh election.
“Our demand is predicated on the serious irregularities and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, which characterised the conduct of the said election”, APC petitioned.
“To proceed with the election as proposed by your Commission will amount to a gruesome assault on the right of the people of Anambra State to elect a governor of their choice and a legitimising of a grave travesty of the electoral process as witnessed during the 16th November 2013 Governorship Election”.
Expatiating on the reasons for its call for cancellation, the party said the voters’ register used for the election was tainted with vice to such an extent that many voters, especially in Senator Chris Ngige’s stronghold, were disenfranchised, while the register was padded with minors and multiple registrants in the local government areas controlled by the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA); and that APC field agents had catalogued about 1,380 polling units of about 600, 000 voters with one form of irregularity or the other.
It also noted that the monitors/observers accredited by INEC have roundly criticised the election as “gravely flawed”, which leaves a lot to be desired and also reflects the lack of competence on the part of INEC in the conduct of elections.
Some of the complaints listed in the petition include that results were brought in without being publicly announced by LGA Collation Officers; that election materials were not distributed in a timely manner in many polling units, thus affecting the timely commencement of accreditation and voting; that the Commission failed to deploy election officials in sufficient numbers to several polling units; and that election officials were recruited at the election venue and deployed without any form of training.
Other complaints cited by the APC for demanding the cancellation of the election are that students were recruited as Presiding Officers and Polling Assistants, further compromising the electoral process; that aside from students, staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka were recruited as Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) by Prof. Onukaogu, contrary to INEC’s directive that staff of UNIZIK would not be used in the election since APGA’s candidate for Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, was a Senior Lecturer with the university prior to joining the race.
APC also used the petition to debunk claims by INEC that only the courts have the power to cancel the election, saying: “A correct reading of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) is to the effect that your Commission cannot reverse itself where a candidate in the election has been returned as a winner. This has not been done. Indeed, your Commission had on Monday, 18th November 2013 declared the election as ‘inconclusive’”.
The party explained that in an electoral process, a Ward or Local Government Collation Officer who stands in the same position as State Collation/Returning Officer can cancel or reject results submitted to him at ward or local government level where the result is tainted with vice or irregularities.
“The Commission is therefore duly empowered to reject the purported results as announced”, it went on. “It is instructive that it is the prior cancellations of results by the Commission that has led to the affected areas being included in the areas for which the ‘Supplementary Election’ is to be held”.
However, contrary to APC’s claims, the same governorship election is one of the best elections ever conducted in Nigeria by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), according to a group known as Independent Domestic Election Observers.
Speaking to newsmen at a press conference in Awka on Thursday, the group led by Mr Gabriel Nwambu, hinged its assessment of the election on its “free, fair, credible and peaceful nature” in conformity to international best practices and accepted standards.
The group argued that the essence of accrediting credible observers in any election by INEC is to ascertain the degree of compliance by politicians, their supporters, the electorate and the electoral body itself, which serves as referee to the relevant electoral laws.
It made the following observations: the election actually held on 16th November as pronounced by INEC; the group inspected sensitive and non-sensitive materials in INEC office and monitored the distribution of the materials to the local governments, polling units and points; the election held in the 21 local councils of the state except in few areas where election commenced late, with the one in Obosi holding the day after on Sunday, 17th November; the election commenced relatively late due to logistics problems in terms of distribution and late arrival of materials; security was tight across the state, leading to absence of violence; voter turnout was very high; there was no voter apathy; the election was hitch-free and it complied with relevant electoral laws of the country.
Comprising six different bodies, the group commended the Anambra State governor, Peter Obi for non-interference with the entire process, which created a level playing ground. It also commended INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega for conducting one of the freest and fairest elections in the history of the country with committed members of staff, even as they commended the security agencies for pro-active policing.
It equally commended the electorate for a mature conduct and massive turnout, but expressed disappointment in those calling for total cancellation of the results, saying they do not mean well for the nation. It advised all candidates to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship and sense of maturity since elections are not do-or-die affairs.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of PPA, Mr Godwin Ezeemo has expressed satisfaction with the conduct and outcome of the election in the areas already concluded.
Speaking with journalists at his country home, Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area, Ezeemo said he was also in full support of supplementary election in areas declared inconclusive.
“Those threatening thunder and brimstone because they lost the election should respect the will of the people, even, though some were influenced with money”, he said.
“The conduct of the election is a remarkable improvement on previous elections; INEC demonstrated genuine commitment to deliver free and fair election. The people of the state have made their choice, so I enjoin those calling for cancellation of the entire exercise to respect the mandate of the electorate”.
Ezeeemo advised INEC to computerise the election process to eliminate sharp practices and controversies. He condemned those sponsoring any form of protest against the election, saying that is not what Anambra needs at this point in time.
