Eligible voters in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states will today participate in the election of their new governors in the November 11 off-cycle gubernatorial polls. Over five million voters will cast their ballots in the elections. Imo State has over 2,419,922 voters, Kogi, 1,932,654 and Bayelsa, 1,056,862 voters, respectively. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reportedly deployed about 46,084 regular and ad-hoc staff for the elections.
About 126 national and international organisations have been accredited for the polls, which no fewer than 11,000 domestic and foreign observers will monitor. As at October 21, 2023, the electoral agency had received applications from 80 media organsitions seeking to deploy 1,203 personnel, including journalists, and technical support staff to report on the elections. The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed that 18 political parties participating in the polls had deployed 137,934 agents for the elections.
Interestingly, the INEC boss has assured Nigerians and the international community that the electoral agency will transmit election results real-time using its INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states. We hope that the electoral agency will not renege on this promise today as it did in the February 25 presidential poll. No matter what happens, we urge INEC to keep its promise and ensure that the results of the elections are transmitted real-time using its IReV. Nigerians will not accept any excuse this time around. Let INEC use today’s polls to correct the deficiencies of the 2023 polls.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the distribution of 220 operational vehicles for the elections in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states. The Nigeria Police Force has also deployed anti-riot equipment, including water cannons, Armoured Personnel Carriers, helmets, bullet-proof vests, and tear gas canisters for the exercise in the three states. The IGP had organised training for all police officers for election security management to maintain peace during the polls.
The military and police chiefs have vowed to deal ruthlessly with hoodlums and other people who might be planning to snatch ballot boxes during the elections in the three states. Specifically, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, and the Police Chief, Kayode Egbetokun, warned those planning to disrupt the polls to steer clear of the three states.
Musa assured Nigerians that the Armed Forces, the police and other security agencies would provide adequate security for the smooth conduct of the polls. Also, the police authorities had deployed about 67,000 personnel for the polls. Officers of other security agencies will equally be deployed for the polls to assist the police in ensuring adequate security during the polls.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has equally charged members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure that the off-season polls are hitch-free. At the same time, we urge the president to give INEC and the security agencies enough support and independence to make the elections free, fair and credible. There should be no interference or official meddlesomeness in the exercise. The people of the affected states and indeed all Nigerians expect no less from the electoral umpire.
Let the votes count. The people of the three states should be allowed to decide who will govern them in the next four years. Their wishes must be respected. Nigerians are yet to recover from the poor handling of the 2023 elections, which attracted more litigations than any other election in the history of the country. Therefore, INEC should not bungle today’s exercise.
Let the electoral agency ensure that there are no technical glitches in the conduct of the polls. INEC staff and security agents deployed for election duties must be patriotic and apolitical in the discharge of their duties. Political parties and their candidates should enjoin their members and supporters to be orderly and peaceful during the elections and after. They should shun vote buying and other subtle forms of voter inducement during the elections.
Rigging, ballot snatching, intimidation of voters and falsification of results and other electoral offences must not be tolerated. Let no voter be disenfranchised. Therefore, we call on the electoral agency, the police and other security agencies as well as other stakeholders to ensure that today’s polls are free, fair and credible. They must make sure that the votes count.