A week after the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states, certain political parties have offered their critique of the electoral process won by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the two States.
About 60 political parties operating under the platform, Forum of Chairmen of Nigeria Political Parties, on Monday, pointed fingers of scorn at the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC), its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the security agencies for the snatching of ballot boxes, destruction of same and the killings that dogged the elections.
At a press briefing addressed by Chairman of Action Alliance, Barrister Kenneth Udeze, flanked by his colleagues, they accused the APC and the PDP for the desperation to win the elections in the two states.
They absolved the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) of any infraction as they submitted that its handling of penultimate weekend elections in Kogi and Bayelsa was an improvement on the last general elections.
The AA national chairman argued that the two leading political parties armed and goaded their thugs in their orchestrated plot to win the elections.
He said: “On polling day, while some political parties were encouraging voters to come and vote, assisting the Commission to ensure a credible, free and fair process, others were busy deploying their already hired thugs to be moving from one polling unit to the other to disrupt voting and collation, destroy the electoral materials and in many instances cart away the materials to unknown places from where they contrived figures.
“Some INEC staff were also reportedly abducted along with the materials and must have obviously been made to sign off the results which were declared. We must state that the rigging was a rat race between the All Progressive Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.”
ALSO READ: Group petitions development partners, donor agencies over Bayelsa gov poll
The Forum blamed the security agencies, particularly the police for what it called its indifference to the impunity of party thugs who disrupted the elections in the two states. They equally blamed the military for aiding and abetting rigging of election in the penultimate weekend in Bayelsa states.
The forum listed Okene, Adavi, Okehi, in Kogi State and Southern Ijaw, Nembe in Bayelsa State, where miscreants operated freely without security men intervention. Other areas were Dekina, Sagbama in Bayelsa State and Ajaokuta Local Government Areas in Kogi State.
The Forum called on President Muhammadu Buhari to set up inquiry into the circumstances that led to the overrunning of 35, 000 policemen by a motley crowd of political thugs.
“The Forum of Chairmen of Nigeria Political Parties also concludes that the role of security agencies particularly the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Army during the November, 16th Governorship elections Kogi and Bayelsa states were largely reprehensible.
“Men in Police uniforms were seen aiding thugs to carry ballot boxes and other materials from the centres and abducting polling staff. The 35,200 Policemen deployed to Kogi State were all either standing by watching or were active participants guarding the thugs to carry the election materials and disrupt a hitherto peaceful and well-organised process.
“It was disheartening to hear the Inspector General of Police announce to journalists that the Police got intelligence about the plans of politicians to sew Police uniforms but rather than announce what the Police did to checkmate these criminals and even arrest them for possible prosecution, he announced that the Police made tags for further identification of their officers.
“He did not announce anything else the Police did. He has since not announced the arrest of any of the persons he referred to as fake policemen who were on rampage and heavily dented the credibility of the election. The Inspector-General still owes Nigerians a lot of explanation on why the 35, 000 Policemen in Kogi were helpless and could not stop these thugs. Security agencies colluded with political thugs and this collusion is at the highest levels of the security echelon.”
They equally accused military men of connivance with party thugs to perpetrate electoral fraud as they noted that “it does not speak well of the Army to have its personnel shown in viral videos aiding political thugs to hijack ballot boxes.”
To inspire sanity in the electoral process, the Forum of Party Chairmen as part of their resolutions called “for an urgent conclusion of the process of the amendment of the Electoral Act introducing electronic transmission of results straight from the Polling Units to a central database, electronic accreditation figures to ensure that magical and humongous figures are not generated and if possible electronic voting.
“That the President must show practical commitment towards the enthronement of credible, peaceful, free and fair elections and go beyond mouthing the ideal.”
In attendance at the press briefing were, Perry Opara, national chairman, National Unity Party (NUP); Alhaji Adamu Takai, national chairman, Advanced Congress of Democrats; Frank Ukonga of Democratic Alliance; Ralph Nwosu, Action Democratic Congress, amongst others.
and then