As Kogi, Bayelsa go to Polls

SATURDAY, November 16 provides another opportunity for the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, and political class another golden opportunity to make a statement that democracy has come to stay in the country. The success of the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states would definitely show that the electoral umpire is fairly independent and has the capacity to conduct credible elections. It would also depict that INEC has learnt its lessons from past flaws in order to conduct these elections with every sense of responsibility and prepared to allow the will of the people to determine the outcome of the elections.

COINCIDENTALLY, 22 candidates are vying for the governorship seat in each state respectively. It is generally believed that one of  the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may occupy the office. Also, the two states where the elections would be held on Saturday have peculiar characteristics; while Bayelsa state is small, most of its local governments are on water. Kogi though is mainly on land it is bigger than Bayelsa and a senatorial rerun election would also take place on the same day.

THE two states however   have unbridled records of violence. The last elections held in Bayelsa and Kogi in 2016 were marred by violence and eventually declared inconclusive. Against this background, these are not the easiest states to conduct elections in the country. But INEC has a responsibility to prove that it is up to the task. The body needs to ensure that electoral materials get to the polling centers before elections commenced.

OUR position is that INEC has no excuse order than to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the two states. Reason being that the body has ample time to prepare for these elections. We therefore wish that it carries out it tasks with every sense of professionalism and patriotism that can enhance the credibility of the polls.

WE expect the commission to demonstrate a strict sense of professionalism in the overall conduct of the poll in the two states. Logistics must be deployed at the nick of time. It will be a gross failure, for instance, if there are reports of late arrival of voting materials or cases of voters waiting for the arrival of electoral officers at polling stations on Saturday as well as the use of non-functional card readers.

WITHOUT a doubt, the exchanges of hot words among the politicians are ominous signs ahead of the election in the two states. The main parties in the states, including their followers   would definitely be fine tuning their strategies to emerge victorious, including how to use or manage any violence if necessary, especially in Nigeria where politicians are often willing to win at all costs.

WE thus enjoin the Nigerian police and other security agents deployed in the states not to be caught in the politicking of the areas. They should insulate themselves from partisan politics and dispassionately discharge their responsibilities by refusing to be willing tools in the hands of politicians. One thing the police and other security agencies must do ahead of the election is to embark on aggressive mopping up of illegal arms in the two states and to identify and profile all known hoodlums available for hiring as thugs and restrict their activities in the run up to the polls.

THE electoral umpire and the security agencies must work closely to ensure that desperate politicians and their thugs are not given any leeway to disrupt the painstaking effort the commission has put in towards delivering credible polls in the two states. The commission must also apply the lessons it learnt from the pitfalls of the last general election to render improved elections on Saturday.

 WE also appeal to the major political actors in these elections to give room for peace and allow common sense to prevail. These elections must not be seen as do-or-die affair as we have had enough of bloodshed. The fundamental rights of Nigerians to live and elect their candidates without any threat or arm twisting must be sacrosanct.  We wish they allow the will of the people to prevail in the elections.It is therefore important for politicians to allow the people of Kogi and Bayelsa States to decide their destiny for the next four years. There should be no room for coercion and violence.