By Sunday Ani
Barely 10 days before the February 25 presidential election, a civil society organisation accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election, Nigeria’s Voters Watch (NVW), has called for the immediate removal of the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Olusegun Agbaje.
The call followed what the group called many disturbing utterances attributed to Agbaje in recent time.
Addressing journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, Dr. Stella Ford, noted that INEC could either suspend or terminate Agbaje’s appointment outrightly, so as to curtail and minimize the damages he had already caused. She noted that for referring to Nigerians as migrants in their own country, Agbaje had sowed the seed of bias, bigotry and doubt in the public.
She also condemned INEC’s decision to withdraw 240 Polling Units (PUs) and redistribute voters in those PUs without adequate efforts to educate voters on the changes and how the affected voters could locate their new PUs.
“We urge INEC, as a matter of urgency, to educate voters by sending SMS, Phone contacts and general public education.
“INEC should also display voter’s registration, at least, 10 days before election, starting from tomorrow, in order to give voters enough time to verify their PUs,” she stated.
She also decried the level of violence visited on the supporters and members of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State, calling on the security agents to rise to their constitutional responsibility of protecting people’s lives.
She cited a case in Aguda area of Lagos, where a man believed to be LP supporter was on Wednesday, stabbed on the head, and narrated how several LP supporters were attacked and injured on Saturday during the LP mega rally in Lagos, as few examples.
She alleged that those behind the series of attacks were known members of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) and urged the security agents to get them arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
“Safety and security of voters should be taken very seriously by INEC in view of threats and physical injuries already suffered by potential voters, especially Labour Party voters
“For the safety and security of votes cast on Election Day, INEC should also, as a matter of urgency, withdraw any arrangement regarding the transportation of voting materials by interested private individuals in Lagos and nationwide,” she said.
She also made reference to a viral audio where some Lagos residents were being threatened to vote for the APC or have themselves to blame, saying, “The disturbing voice mail that has reached us and many people, including members of the press and law enforcement agencies, where elected and appointed APC members threatened their neighbours even with physical removal from Lagos if they failed to vote APC, should be taken very seriously. Information reaching us is that the law enforcement agencies are looking into the matter. We urge that prompt prosecution should be commenced immediately.
“INEC and the law enforcement agencies should sanction political parties and their members who commit acts of intimidation, physical or verbal threats. A good example of such threats is the one where the former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, was tacitly supporting, nudging and directing the APC supporters to intimidate and threaten their opponents. This is evidenced by a video in circulation.
“We recommend that the international community should consider revoking visas of such political leaders and denying them entry to the civilised world.”
Dr. Ford bemoaned the fate of several Nigerian students who could not get their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), urging INEC to set aside, at least, two days for them to get their cards.
“These students registered while sitting at home due to strike by the university lecturers. The strike was called off and they returned to their various campuses, while the PVCs were being distributed to Nigerians. You don’t expect a student in Jos or Kaduna to travel back to Lagos or Enugu where the person got registered during the strike just to collect the PVC. INEC must find a way of letting them have their cards before election. It is great injustice to disenfranchise a large number of our youth population,” she said.
Responding to question as to whether the LP will boycott the election if the attack on its members and supporters continued, Marie Orgah said: “We are not ready to boycott the election but we will speak up in time so that the situation can be remedied. If we boycott the election, we would have played into their hands. No, we won’t do that.”
She described as unfortunate a situation where one political party was holding the entire country by the balls, saying, “impunity should no longer be allowed and that is why the Nigeria’s Voters Watch is here. The media should also help by playing their watchdog role very well.”