By Eric Elezuo

And finally, the much awaited day for the off cycle election involving Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states has arrived. But as expected, palpable fears abound as candidates and their parties have engaged one another in a battle of wits, fisticuffs and large scale attacks that have left many dead, and a lot more heavily injured. And with INEC announcing the areas where violence are recorded will have their votes cancelled may likely mean that votes may be cancelled in many places. The case of Ayingba in Kogi State may readily come to mind.

However, while many of the Nigerian states hold their governorship elections in February or March or every four years (same time when presidential elections are held) depending on the discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a few states have resorted to off cycle periods owing to election rescheduling or upturn of electoral victory by the courts.

According to history, the off cycle elections originated when in 2006, former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi then of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was sworn in as governor after contesting the result of the 2003 Anambra election that favoured Chris Ngige, then of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Since then, the governorship election in Anambra State takes its cue four from 2006. The next governor will be sworn in in 2026 after the elections might have held in 2025.

Similar incidences have also resulted to the off cycle election involvement of Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.

Report by TheCable shows as follows:

“After PDP’s Timipre Sylva was declared governor of Bayelsa in 2007, Ebitimi Amgbare of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was dissatisfied and challenged the election result before the tribunal. However, the ACN candidate lost his case. Amgbare went ahead to petition the court of appeal, which mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise a fresh poll in the state in 2008. Again, Sylva won and was elected governor, disrupting the state’s election calendar.

“Kogi followed a similar route. In 2007, Ibrahim Idris of the PDP was declared the winner of the gubernatorial election. Abubakar Audu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Idris’ main opponent, petitioned the state election tribunal to challenge the victory, claiming his name had been improperly left off the list of candidates meant to run for office. He took the case all the way to the appeal court.  The election was nullified, leading to the conduct of a fresh election. Idris won re-election as Kogi governor on March 29, 2008.

“Imo, on the other hand, is the most recent addition to the collective. In 2019, the legal tussle between Hope Uzodinma of the APC and PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha moved from the election tribunal to the supreme court. Uzodinma contested Ihedioha’s victory and was later inaugurated as governor on January 14, 2020.”

By the above, it becomes crystal clear that the only times elections have been in all the states of the nation simultaneously were in 1999 and 2003. Ever since, a good number of states have joined in the off cycle arrangement. They are Edo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Anambra, Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa  states.

But the major issues of the day remain the volatile nature of elections in the aforementioned states billed for election on November 11, 2023. Nigerians fear that things might just go haywire again considering the affairs in the last days leading to the election day

In Kogi State, cleared governorship candidates to run for today’s election include Senator Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party; All Progressives Congress candidate, Ododo Usman; Muritala Ajaka of Social Democratic Party; Leke Abejide, African Democratic Congress; Olayinka Braimoh, Action Alliance and Okeme Adejoh of the Labour Party.

However, among these contestants and their parties, violence has continued to play a major role both during their primary elections and campaignings. The spate of  accusations and counter-accusations had rent the air, causing untold apprehension among the residents. Many parties, especially the SDP and the PDP have Pointed accusing fingers at Governor Yayaha Bello as the brain behind politically motivated violence in the state. The governor has however, denied the allegations. Even before voting on election day, reports have made the rounds about pre-thumb printed ballot papers declaring the APC candidate winner. The INEC is however, still investigating the matter.

The Punch recalls that “in November 2019, when the result of the governorship poll was declared, a PDP woman leader of the Wada/Aro campaign council, Ochadamu Ward, Acheju Abuh, was burnt alive in her home by some suspected political thugs. Since then, nothing has been said about the issue, and no one has been brought to book. The November 2019 governorship election in Kogi State was an exercise that many discerning persons would wish to forget quickly due to the preponderance of violence before and on election day.

“On June 3, 2023, it was reported that the motorcade of the SDP governorship candidate, Muritala Ajaka, was attacked by gunmen, and many believed that the incident was not unconnected with today’s governorship election. A month later, arsonists burnt down the state SDP campaign office in Lokoja, the state capital.

“It was reported that the convoy of the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, was attacked, allegedly by the supporters of the SDP, even as some aides of the governor were said to have been injured. A member of the Senate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, when she was a candidate for the SDP, had raised the alarm over violent attacks aimed at her and her supporters. Similarly, when she contested on the platform of the PDP in the 2023 general election for a senatorial seat in her constituency, she decried the prevalence of violence.”

Also, in Imo State, violence has continued to rear its ugly head with the Hope Uzodimma-led state government pointing accusing fingers at the opposition and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

However, the opposition onbthe other hand, has blamed the governor of masterminding state-sponsored attacks at the opposition.  The security challenges have instilled more fear in the residents, creating an atmosphere of possibility of viter apathy.

The state Chairman of the Labour Party, Callistus Ihejiagwa, earlier cried out that the state secretariat of the party was attacked by police and thugs allegedly on the directives of the state government. For instance, on September 23, 2023, the LP condemned the killing of security agents in Imo State by gunmen and the subsequent burning of houses and businesses in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area by soldiers.

Similarly, a video on the internet, showed military mobilization to the state. One would think that war was erupting. It has also been reported that there was tension over the killing of 14 youths reportedly returning from a wedding to their community in the Otulu community, Oru East Local Council of the state, from Awo-Omamma in the neighbouring Oru West council area by members of Ebube Agu security operatives, who opened fire on them on July 18, 2022.

On April 21, 2023, gunmen killed five policemen at the Okpala Junction in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State. Also killed were a couple identified as Mr and Mrs Chinaka Nwagu, from the Amankwo Okpala community.

On November 7, 2023, the Organised Labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress ordered a shutdown of electricity and fuel supplies in Imo State following the brutalisation of the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, allegedly by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.

Bayelsa State is not left out in the avalanche of electoral violence. From Nembe to Brass to Ekeremor, and Ijaw areas of the state, violent politics has remained the order of the day.

On Friday, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party was manhandled by alleged APC thugs at Twon Brass jetty in Brass local government area over meddling with election materials.

The incident happened when officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were offloading the election materials, it was gathered.

The incident was in the aftermath of misunderstanding between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts over where the election materials should be kept. It goes to say the suspicious inclinations the parties exhibit among one another.

Recall that during the 2023 election, INEC moved voting in 141 polling units in Bayelsa State to Sunday after the voting process was interrupted by thugs.

Also on August 15, 2023, thugs invaded, killed, and maimed innocent citizens in Bayelsa State communities, particularly Opu-Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area. On September 18, 2023, the governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Timipre Sylva, and incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party engaged in a war of words over allegations of spying and violence ahead of today’s polls.

Even less than 24 hours to the election, it was reported that a boat conveying INEC officials and materials capsized and one official kidnapped. The Commission also lost election materials to the incident. Responders have alleged that the act was masterminded though the entity involved is still unknown.

INEC said: “We wish to confirm that a boat carrying election personnel to registration area 17 (Koluama) in southern Ijaw LGA capsized,” the statement read.

The abducted official was taken at Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State while waiting to board a boat.

Without an iota of doubt, today’s electoral victory may likely go to the candidate and party that perpetrates the highest level of violence and manipulation as Nigerians believe that INEC, the electoral umpire, has lost all credibility, and is practically irredeemable.

However, it is believed and hoped that the feared Armageddon will not take place for the peace of safety of Nigerians, especially of Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo extracts.