The cost of Ekiti governorship election

In this report, LEKE BAIYEWU X-rays the logistics put in place for the conduct of the governorship election in Ekiti State on Saturday

Compared to other state governorship elections, the one held in Ekiti State on Saturday was different. The country’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and security agencies deployed extra number of personnel and equipment.

This became necessary after pockets of violence were recorded in the state prior to the election.

Officers of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Security and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps were massively deployed. There were also several paramilitary agencies on duty, as well as voluntary security organisations and professional bodies and groups, which served as election observers.

Few days to the election, security operatives had occupied major hotels in Ado-Ekiti metropolis, while some security agents had also lodged in the hotels for “security reasons.”

Of the three most prominent governorship candidates – Governor Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress; Mr. Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party; and Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele of the Labour Party – observers of the developments in the state had predicted a fierce contest between Fayemi and Fayose. According to them, Fayemi will enjoy the power of incumbency, while Fayose will enjoy ‘the federal might.’

INEC

INEC had announced that it would deploy 7,941 ad hoc staff, comprising members of the National Youth Service Corps and students of tertiary institutions.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ekiti State, Halilu Pai, premised the decision to engage such large number of ad hoc staff for the election on the fact that there were 766,132 registered voters in Ekiti.

Giving a breakdown of their duties, Pai said out of the 7,941 people engaged as ad hoc staff, 2,195 would work as presiding officers, while 5,605 would work as assistant presiding officers.

“Some of the ad hoc staff will be deployed in 177 electoral wards, 16 collation centres at the local government headquarters and the rest (of them) will stay in Ado-Ekiti,” he stated.

The 7,941 were aside the permanent workforce of the electoral umpire in the state and those temporarily deployed for the election.

For instance, the state REC, while hosting ‘NUJ/NBA Peace initiatives on Election,’ a non-governmental organisation on June 9, announced that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, would lead six national commissioners of the electoral body to supervise the election.

Earlier on June 3, 2014, the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers met with security agencies and INEC over the election.

At the meeting, Pai said INEC had commenced the distribution of non-sensitive materials to the 16 councils in the state. He added that sensitive materials would arrive in the councils two days to the election.

Pai said INEC registered additional 76, 000 prospective voters through the continuous voter registration, in addition to the 657, 000 already captured during the 2011 voter registration exercise.

Earlier in May, the REC had expressed fears that voters might shun the election. He had said over 285,794 permanent voter cards had yet to be collected with just five weeks to the election.

Pai, who spoke through the state INEC’s Public Relations Officer, Taiwo Gbadegesin, had tasked political parties with increasing their sensitisation programmes to prevent the poll from being marred by low turnout of voters.

He stated that eligible voters without permanent voter cards would not be allowed to vote during the election.

Security

Security operatives were present in strategic locations across the state. There were roadblocks where security checks were conducted on motorists and pedestrians, especially at the entry points to the state.

It would be recalled that soldiers, on June 12, arrested three men – Olufemi Ose, Segun Akanbi and Biodun Erinfolami – who were conveying a truckload of election materials meant for the election.

The electoral materials included ballot papers, rubber stamps, ink pads and reflective jackets bearing INEC, among others.

While some of the ballot papers bore 2007 election and 2009 rerun governorship election marks, the rubber stamps and ink pads bore 2014.

The materials, which were being conveyed in a Mercedes Benz truck marked Lagos APP 952 XL with the inscription ‘Adewole F Odunayo Enterprises’ on its sides, were intercepted and impounded at Itawure Junction near Efon-Alaye, in Efon Local Government Area.

The Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, had told journalists that his men, at a checkpoint in Itawure, stopped the men, who could not provide satisfactory answers to questions posed to them by the soldiers.

Momoh, who said his men were not in the state to harass or molest anybody, warned against any attempt to cause trouble.

“We are not here to intimidate or harass anybody, but we want to sound a note of warning that whoever thinks he can cause trouble by engaging in funny things will be dealt with severely,” the Brigade Commander stated.

Similarly, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, had on Monday said the highest number of support personnel and equipment in history had been deployed from the Force Headquarters to the state for the election. He said the massive deployment was to prevent violence and ensure free and fair election.

The IG admitted that elections in Ekiti were peculiar and that the Police would prevent a recurrence of the electoral violence that rocked the old Ondo State in 1983 in Ekiti.

Abubakar said, “Some of us who witnessed what happened in Ondo State in 1983, during the Omoboriowo election, are doing everything to ensure that it is prevented; that this (Ekiti governorship) election is free and fair and without violence.

“Knowing what Ekiti used to be during elections, we have gone a step further to do all the things we are supposed to do in terms of materials and human resources. Do not ask the number of personnel I am going to use in security business. We want to keep that to our chest so that we can do our best.

“I tell you, it is one of the highest numbers we can ever expect to deploy in more than any other state that we have been because we must look at history.”

Earlier at the meeting with Ekiti monarchs, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Uyanna, said security operatives had mapped out strategies to ensure that all the 2, 195 polling booths were protected.

The CP said no fewer than 12, 000 policemen would be deployed in the state to provide security during the election. He added that each polling booth would be manned by three policemen headed by an officer not below a Superintendent of Police; they would be supplemented with other officers from sister security agencies.

“Besides, there will be 200 counter-terrorist officers, two DGs, AIGs, there will also be sniffer dogs, horses and two aircraft that will be hovering to monitor,” Uyanna added.

Also at the security meeting, the Director, Department of Security Service, Ekiti State, Samuel Tamino, said the DSS had been providing intelligence reports to both INEC and the police to ensure credible election.

But even with all the arrangement, The Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation had complained shortly before the election that it was not satisfied with the arrangements.

Fayose’s Chief Press Secetary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH said, “We believe that both INEC and the Police will address the issues we raised. Our concern is to have a free and fair election in Ekiti State.”