By David Lawani
Following the spate crisis that has greeted the Ekiti East House of Assembly Constituency 1 bye-election, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Adeniran Tella has disclosed that due to disruption suffer by it, it is ready to conduct the election and enough is enough.
He made this disclosure during an Ekiti State Election Stakeholders’ Forum organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ado Ekiti noting that the essence is to acquaint the public the more and share some of Commission activities in recent time as the year come to a close and preparation for the Ekiti East House of Assembly Constituency 1 bye-election.
The address read: “I convene this meeting to reassure you that the Commission is determined to conduct a very free, fair, and credible in Ekiti East House of Assembly Constituency 1 bye-election.
“The best security anywhere is one in which the people partner with the security agencies to ensure the security of lives and properties. The people must therefore work closely with the security agencies to provide the much-needed information that will assist the security agencies to discharge their duties maximally in quickly arresting any form of threat that may want to pose on the electoral process before it happens.
“I would urge all the electorates of the concerned area to cooperate fully with the commission, it is the fundamental right of every Nigerian to vote and be voted for, it will always be at the detriment of the constituency not having a representative to cater for their legislative needs”, he said.
He said it was unfortunate that despite the optimism that they were going to get it right, “with you joining hands with us. As an Electoral Management Body, we did everything the law has made provision for us to do diligently and left no stone unturned in our quest to ensure that we deliver the free, fair, open and credible elections to the residents of Ekiti East Local Government.
“Our jobs were even made easier because we had elected to conduct in just Five (5) Registration Areas (Wards) and thirty-Seven (37) Polling Units. What’s more, the Commission headquarters gave us everything needed both morally and financially.
” Quite painfully, however, that was not to be. Midway into the election that started peacefully, some forces came in and disrupted the whole process. Lives were lost including that of a policewoman and various degrees of life-threatening injuries sustained by poll officials including ad-hoc members of NYSC, INEC staff, and voters”, he said.
He noted that without exaggerating, this Constituency 1 election appears to have been jinxed.
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” On three occasions in the past, we have conducted this election. The first time was during the 2019 General Elections of 9th March 2019 but eventually engulfed with violence which rendered it inconclusive in four Polling Units covering Wards 9 (Obadoore IV) and Ward 6 (Obadoore1) thus; –
Ward 9 Polling Unit 3 Aya Alaafe
Ward 9 Polling Unit 8 Odo Oro
Ward 9 Polling Unit 9 Odo-Ile
Ward 6 Polling Unit 3 Ekurugbe
A few weeks later precisely on 23rd March 2019 supplementary elections were conducted in the affected Polling Units and a winner eventually emerged; that being the second phase of the election in the constituency.
” The third bye-election came into being consequent upon the demise of the Honourable member representing the same constituency as held on 20th March 2021 after all necessary conditions had been fulfilled but were enveloped with unworthy violence again.
” We have to reiterate with great concern that each time we conducted it, we have had to contend with one issue or the other that would make nonsense of all efforts and resources put into it including human and material resources. We have to collectively say enough is enough. We cannot continue to lose a life and inflict injuries on the poll officials including the security agencies.
“There is no doubt that one of the basic responsibilities of government is to guarantee law and order and ensure public orderliness. In any INEC held elections, the role of security agencies as partners and guarantors of law and order without which election cannot hold has never been taken lightly. Little wonder that the Electoral Act 2010 as amended makes the presence of security agencies at the various stages of election a cornerstone of its activity.
That said, as the saying goes, it takes two to tango.
He reiterated that INEC expectations from the stakeholders are that the election must hold and should not be aborted again.
He added: ” INEC has spent a colossal amount of money in the last three times we have conducted this election. The mood at the Commission now is that nothing short of an expression of a firm commitment by the stakeholders to give peace a chance and make themselves ready to cooperate with INEC including giving maximum support to the security agencies to be able to do their job would be acceptable. Candidly, a commitment to support and cooperate with INEC and partnering with the security agencies to maintain law and order cannot be seen to be too much demand INEC should ask from the stakeholders.
“However, the Commission remains resolute and wholesomely committed to conducting free, fair, credible and acceptable elections based on its mandate and that informed its decisions to ensure all constituencies where elections are yet to be conducted to fill available vacancies are done and dusted ahead of 2023 General Elections. In essence, the Commission is not prepared to deny any constituency of its representation at whatever level.
Conclusively, the bitter truth is that the Commission cannot continue to be exhausting its financial worth in futility except the concerned stakeholders are ready to allow peace to reign to enable us, midwife, a peaceful bye-election in the place.
