2015: Ominous signs from Nzeribe’s backyard

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
The outcome of the rerun election in a vacant state constituency in
Imo State raises concerns on the tenacity of politicians not to play
by the rules. Remarkably, the election which took place in the base of
controversial politician, Arthur Nzeribe follows the stalemate on the
Nigerian Governors Forum chairmanship election.
IT was remarkable that the first major election in recent times to be
declaredinconclusive by the electoral authorities would be at the home
baseof the maverick one, Chief Arthur Nzeribe.
Nzeribe it would be recalled was a major facilitator of the annulment
of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Though almost feeble on account of age and not his usual boisterous
self, his support and backing for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP
and its candidate was evident on the ground. The formal declaration of
last weekend's Oguta state constituency re-run election as
inconclusive, came few weeks after the election of the chairman of the
Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF ran into an "inconclusive" end.
The election which was clearly won by Governor Rotimi Amaechi was
subsequently disputed by some other governors aligned to the
presidency.
It was indeed remarkable that Governor Amaechi, only last week
referred to the NGF crisis as a possible pointer to possible dispute
of the 2015 elections.
"Let me put it on record that the way things are going, 2015 elections
will end in this manner where people will win democratic elections and
those in power will not accept the results," the NGF chairman said at
a stakeholders' symposium on the review of the 1999 Constitution in
Abuja.
It didn't take one week for that prediction to set in at the Oguta
re-runelection last Saturday. The Oguta StateConstituency seat had
been in dispute since the 2011 election when the PDP and the All
Progressives Grand Alliance,APGA candidates vied for the seat.
Though the PDP candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu was returned by the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as the winner of the
election, APGA's Walter Uzonwanne immediately sought to block his
inauguration and it took a court order for the PDP candidate to be
inaugurated.
The PDP candidate was eventually ousted by the pronouncement of the
Supreme Court last February forcing INEC to organise last week's
rerun. It was an election that was laced with much intrigues and
anxiety. The PDP which had been displaced from the Government House in
2011 had refashioned itself with the mind of taking advantage of the
perceived misgivings against the APGA governor, Owelle Rochas
Okorocha.
Okorocha was swept to power in 2011 upon popular clamour against the
PDP governor at that time, Chief Ikedi Ohakim. The PDP officials
conscious of the possible effects of parading Ohakim in the run up to
last week's election, carefully secluded the formergovernor from the
campaign train.
It was also remarkable that in the run-up to the election that the two
contending parties, PDP and APGA raised mutual accusations of rigging
against each other.
For Governor Okorocha, the election was an opportunity for him to
validate his credential as an electoral asset to his colleagues in the
fledgling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Given the reported assertions that the governor could vie for a
position on the APC presidential ticket in 2015, Oguta served as a
platform for him to reassure other APC stakeholders that he could
deliver.
APGA through the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chinedu Offor
had accused the PDP before the election ofimporting thugs to achieve
the aim of discrediting the election. It was an allegation that was
robustly parried bythe PDP's state publicity secretary, Chief Blyden
Anajirionwu, who termed the APGA officials as "ranting losers".
"It is only the ranting of losers. We will beat APGA convincingly in
the House of Assembly re-election. All they have accused us of are
their plans which we have carefully scuttled."
Amajirionwu had on his part accused the state authorities of
intimidation alleging that all cadres of officers of the state
government were mobilised to Oguta last Friday for the purpose of
pushing the victory of the APGA candidate.
However, at the end, INEC declared the election inconclusive upon the
fact that the election was disrupted in three of the 11 wards where
the election took place.
Water tight security
The violence was despite the water-tight security that was deployed in
Oguta. Remarkably, just like the NGF election the two major parties
involved in the election claimed victory. APGA claimed to have won the
poll, while the PDP crying foul, said it was in the lead in the areas
where election took place.Okorocha had at a press conference last
Monday, among others, alleged that there was election in 121 of the
129 polling units and that he was in possession of authenticated
result sheets for the wards where election took place.
Amajirionwu was quick to rebutt him in a press statement where he
challenged the governor to present the "authenticated" result sheets.
"We want to state without any fear of contradiction that contrary to
the wild claims of Governor Okorocha, election did not take place in
the whole of Osemoto/Enuigbo and Egbuoma/Egwe wards both of which are
made up of 17 polling units. Add these to the 8 units where results
are outstanding as a result of snatching of election of election
materials by APGA thugs and the falsity of Governor Okorocha claim
will be glaring," Amajirionwu said in a statement last Wednesday.
In its formal reaction to the stalemate, the INEC in a press statement
issued byKayode Idowu, chief press secretary to INEC chairman, Prof.
Attahiru Jega said: "The Commission finds it worrisome that
politicians and hooligans brazenlyflouted the restriction order on
movement during the election. Reports showed that officials of the Imo
State Government and some members of the National Assembly across
party lines moved around freelydespite the restriction order – some of
them with security escorts! Worse, some of these politicians aren't
even from Oguta constituency where the election held.
"Field reports showed that even though security agents mobilized
appreciably for the exercise, there were cases of violence as well as
ballots and result sheets snatching by thugs, as a result of which the
election was cancelled in the following polling units: PU 001 in Ward
05 (Ndeloukwu/Umuowerre) – with 768 registered voters; PU 007 in Ward
03 (Izombe) – 939 registered voters; PU 009 in Ward 09 (Oru) – 708
registered voters."
Justifying why the election was declared inconclusive, he said:"The
procedure is that where the number ofregistered voters involved in a
cancelled election exceeds the difference in the votes of the two
leading candidates in collated results, the election will be declared
inconclusive."
Remarkably, President Goodluck Jonathan weighed in on Tuesday
whilereceiving a delegation of former senators when he flayed the
actions of the political combatants in Oguta.
"Those who made it impossible for thererun election in Oguta to be
conclusive must be brought to book. We must make it clear that
impunity inthe perpetration of violence and irregularities during
elections will no longer be tolerated. Sanctions, promptly imposed on
guilty persons, will deter others from engaging in such acts in
future," he declared.
His assertion nonetheless, the fresh lexicon, "inconclusive election"
is one that is scaring many ordinary Nigeriansespecially after the
inconclusive NGF chairmanship election.