Osun election: No amount of pressure can make me compromise —Segun Agbaje, REC

Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Segun Agbaje, in this interview by JACOB SEGUN OLATUNJI, speaks on the preparation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the governorship election coming up in the state next week Saturday. He warns that those who may want to engage in vote buying in the election risk going to jail. 

How prepared is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State?   

For every election, the commission always prepares for some activities that it has to follow until the last day of the election. The commission prepares a 14-point agenda and that agenda begins from the preparation of the agenda itself; flagging off of the various political parties to start their campaign; primaries of the various political parties; submission of names of  candidates for the election proper; submission of names of party agents and so on. In respect of the governorship election coming up in Osun State. We, on Friday, 7th of September, 2018, gave a 14-day notice of hold, which means that we have only 14 days to the election. It also stated that 20th of this month is the last day for all campaigns and the election date will be 22nd of September.

On our own part, we still have so many things to finish. We have recruited the ad-hoc staff that is over 16,000. We have also trained them along with the other agents at the state level and the three senatorial districts in the state. These are the people that would be deployed in the various polling units across the state on the election day. It is important to also know that, at the state capital here, we have 3,010 polling units and we have 332 registration units. We also have 30 local government areas in the state and also about 755 voting points.

What are the challenges facing the commission ahead the election?  

Well, one of the challenges we have is not from the commission, but on the part of the various political parties that are contesting in the election. The Electoral Act says names of party agents must be submitted 14 days before the election. But out of the 48 political parties that have registered, only 41 have complied with the provisions of the Act. Section 5 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) stipulates that every political party must submit these names not less than 14 days to the election. But as I speak, some of the political parties are yet to comply. We, as a commission, are looking at how we would apply this section against the defaulting political parties. This is because we cannot stop the election because of their shortcomings. The election must hold as scheduled.

Are these political parties aware of this aspect of the Electoral Act?

Yes, they are very much aware. We have told them on different occasions and we even sent representations to the leaders of the affected political parties to remind them. We also went to give them a soft copy of the party register and we also told them any party that fails to meet up with these requirements would only have itself to blame. So, 41 of the political parties have complied; the remaining have not.

There are allegations of plans to buy votes across all the political parties. What is INEC doing about this?

On the issue of vote buying, it is not an INEC issue because the commission has put everything in place to ensure that there is a free, fair and credible election. But some people may come around to disrupt the process. But this time around, we have partnered with various security agencies and they have assured us that they would work with us to put a stop to voting buying. This is because, if we don’t control this dangerous trend of vote buying now, it is going to mar the general election in 2019. We are also going to do a rejig of the polling booths during the exercise so as to frustrate the plans of potential vote buyers. We will not only let them lose their money but they will all end up in jail. They will go to jail when caught and they are not going to say, ‘I didn›t know’. We are saying this now loud and clear and I hope the electorate in Osun will adhere to our warning now.

There is a candidate of a prominent political party in the state who accused you of being biased and asked that you be redeployed ahead of the election. What do you have to say about this?

It is a laughable matter. Senator Iyiola Omisore, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who made allegation, is a highly respected personality in the country. He is a former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a former deputy governor of Osun State. I have not seen the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, with my eyes since I reported as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state. We have not even bumped into each other on the road. So, as far as I am concerned and as far as the commission is concerned, the accusation by Senator Omisore is just a distractive statement. I did not bring myself to Osun State; INEC brought me here. So, if he has anything against me, he should report me to the chairman of the commission or any of the national commissioners. So, if anybody has anything against me, they should report me to the commission that I am not capable of handling my task in one way or the other. It is INEC that decides who would oversee the election. So, if the commission says I should stay there, I have no option. There is no section of the law that says a REC cannot conduct election twice in a state. If there is any place in the law that says so, Senator Omisore should come up with it. So, as I have said before, all these are distractive statements, but we are not going to be distracted.

Are you under pressure from any of the political parties to act in their favour?

No. In 2014, before the same governorship election, there was widespread panic; and people were scared because they didn’t know what was going to happen. But now, it is not like that. I have always said that Osun State, as far as I am concerned, is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria. The people here are very peaceful and we have been encouraging them to come out and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and they have been coming out.

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But has there been any form of request from any quarter for assistance in the election?  

I have always said that I cannot help anybody. It is what the smart card reader gives that we would record and after the results have been announced, they would be given to the party agents. That is why we are insisting that all the political parties should present their agents before the day of election so that they can witness what is going on. We have met with all the stakeholders, including religious leaders, traditional rulers and also the various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), that are collaborating with us to make sure that we achieve success.

What is the level of the collection of PVCs in Osun State?

As 0f 8th of September, 2018, about 1,219,904 PVCs have been collected, which translated to 72.7 per cent. This was a great improvement on what we had as of that time in 2014 when was 70 per cent. But we are still targeting about 73-75 per cent or more because we still have about 457,202 cards left with us yet to be collected.

What do you think is responsible for the failure to collect the remaining PVCs?

We believe that people that genuinely registered with us will come and collect their voter cards. Some of them are students who have left the state; they are registered but were unable to get their PVCs before they left. Some others have either died or relocated from the state.

The D-Day is around the corner, what is your advice for the people of the Osun state on the need for a peaceful election on September 22? 

Well, I will not stop soliciting for the support of the generality of the people of the state, irrespective of their political parties. We should see ourselves as partners in progress, working for a common goal which is having a peaceful election in the state. I don’t foresee any violence, based on the positive responses of the people towards the exercise. Those who are yet to collect their PVCs should come out and do so on time. They should not sell the PVCs for any amount for whatever reason. It is what they will use to determine who will be their next governor as all their votes will be counted this time around under my watch. They should say no to vote buying. We have done it before and we are going to succeed again, this time.

INEC has released three dedicated phone lines connecting the members of public to the Situation Room of the commission in the state. The numbers are:  08167853080, 07057789656 and 07086575910. I am confident that the election will be free, fair and credible. It will be litmus test for what should be expected from INEC come 2019.