DESPITE the withdrawal of the two major opposition parties — the ANPP and the CPC — from yesterday’s governorship re-run election in Kebbi State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) went ahead to conduct the polls in all the 21 local councils of the state. The election was adjudged to be peaceful, even as there was heavy presence of security operatives all over the state.
Over 7,000 armed policemen were said to have been drawn from Kebbi and the neighbouring states top ensure peaceful conduct of the election in the 2,398 polling units and 225 wards.
Electoral materials and officials arrived in most of the local government councils as early as 7am, with actual voting, which ended at 3pm in most of the polling centres, commencing by 9am.
However, the exercise generally witnessed low turnout of voters, even as some polling centres that still had queues well after the closing hour were allowed to extend voting beyond the approved time limit.
Specifically, there was low voter turnout in Gwandu, Kebbi, Argungu and Bunza local councils. But the Kangiwa and Dandi council areas recorded impressive turn out of voters.
Political observers attributed the poor turn out in some cases to the call by the CPC on its supporters to boycott the election on the ground that it was not given the opportunity to replace its candidate who decamped to the PDP.
Shortly after casting his vote at about midday at the Abubakar Kigo Poling unit in his hometown of Dakingari in Suru Local Government Area, the immediate past Governor and PDP candidate, Alhaji Saidu Usman Nasamu Dakingari said he was sure of victory at the polls.
His two wives, Hajia Asma’u and Hajia Zainab, daughter of the late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua, had earlier voted in the same polling unit.
If re-elected, the former governor said, he would continue with his programmes in the interest of the people.
Less than 24 hours to yesterday’s election, the ANPP gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Suleiman Mohammed, pulled out of the contest. Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Argungu, Kebbi, that his decision was based on lack of faith in the integrity of INEC to conduct a free and fair election.
Earlier, his Congress for Progressive Change’s (CPC) counterpart, Abubakar Mallam, withdrew and dumped his party. The refusal of INEC to entertain a request for a shift of date to allow CPC get a replacement led to the party’s decision in abandoning the exercise. Subsequently, the CPC sued INEC for turning down its appeal for more time to replace its candidate.
It accused the electoral body of conniving with the ruling PDP to retain its seats in constituencies where it lost at election petition tribunals.
Secretary of the party, Buba Galadima, specifically accused INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of disregarding CPC’s request for more time to pick another candidate.
Mallam’s decision did not surprise many political pundits. Earlier, his political godfather and former Governor of the state, Adamu Aliero, had returned to the PDP at the party’s governorship rally.
Aliero, who defected along with his major supporters in the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Namadi Sambo, recounted how Jonathan and Obasanjo had influenced his return.
As a result, moves to get Mallam to also join the PDP fold were initiated. Not too long, the hitherto governorship candidate resolved to toe the line of Aliero, a decision that created major challenge for his former party when elections were few days away.
At a press conference, Deputy National Chairman of CPC, Saliu Mustapha, said:
“INEC has perfected its plans to ensure that the sacked governor of Kebbi State is returned unopposed by turning down our constitutional request for more time to replace our candidate who the PDP has forced to abandon his mandate after we fought at the Supreme Court to actualise it.”
Project Swift Count (PSC), an election-monitoring group, reportedly deployed 627 individuals to observe the re-run polls. It called on the INEC to publish and display the voter’s register to enable electorates identify where to cast votes.
First Co-Chair of Project Swift Count, Dafe Akpedeye (SAN), urged INEC to conduct the election in line with guidelines to forestall complaints of bias and simultaneous accreditation.
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