The Ekiti election

WITH just 218 days (as of today) to the 2019 general election, voters in Ekiti State will, tomorrow, elect a successor to outgoing Governor Ayodele Fayose. Whereas more than 933,000 eligible citizens were registered in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), only the 630,000 voters who collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) are expected to vote in the exercise widely considered as a prelude to the general election.

The cost of preparing for the Ekiti poll has been huge. While INEC says it is committing more than N600 million and engaging more than 11, 000 ad-hoc workers, aside its own personnel, the cost implication of security arrangements for the poll can only be imagined. A total of 30,000 police personnel, surveillance helicopters, five additional Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), 10 Armoured Personnel Vehicles and 250 police patrol vehicles have been deployed, while the military are already on ground patrolling the outer perimeters of the state. Huge human and material resources have been deployed for the election that has not only drawn nationwide interest but is on the global radar. The security surveillance will also involve personnel from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Special Protection Unit (SPU), the Anti-Bomb Squad (EOD), conventional policemen, the Armament Unit, personnel of FCIID and the sniffer dogs section. Above all, the police high command has placed on the red alert, police personnel in states contiguous to Ekiti such as Ondo, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Ogun, Edo and Oyo. Thus Ekiti is, literally speaking, under siege.

We realise how important the election is, as the radar of the international community is on Nigeria. The conduct and outcome of the poll, as the election year proper approaches, will be very significant. Therefore, the main stakeholders, including INEC, owe the nation and indeed posterity the duty to deliver a transparent, credible and acceptable election. The first step to achieving the feat is by acting as an unbiased umpire. All the other stakeholders too must conduct and comport themselves well before, during and after the poll. What distinguishes humans from other animals is the ability to play by the rules at all times, especially during major contests. Much energy has been dissipated on mundane issues, rather than on fundamental matters bordering on the welfare of the citizenry and good governance. Robust political discourse during debates should have served as the veritable platforms for the candidates to aggregate their programmes and offer a road map for economic growth and development; as opposed to the main actors and their parties toeing the path of ego trips and subterfuge. That the gladiators across the states usually embrace impunity instead of robust political discourse and finesse underscores their complete disdain for voters who continuously bear the brunt of inept, egoistic and callous political leadership at different levels of government.

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In the case of Ekiti, the incident involving the police and the state governor at the dawn of the election is unfortunate. The governor was allegedly doused with tear gas by the police while dispersing a rally held by his party on the ridiculous excuse that no police permit was obtained for the purpose. We call on the authorities to investigate the incident dispassionately and come up with sanctions, where appropriate. To say the least, the election calls for caution and vigilance from all the political leaders because of its grave implications. The altercation is capable of undermining the entire process and calls into question the promise of the parties to abide by the rule of law, especially the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010. Since the law allows political campaigns until 24 hours to an election, the controversy between the police and the governor over an aborted rally should have been avoided. The interested parties in the Ekiti poll ought to have exhibited utmost restraint, especially given the pervasive tension in the state.  The ghoulish dance by the gladiators has only compounded the tension created by weeks of the bellicose posturing and unguarded utterances of a few leaders and their political parties in the build-up to the election.

While we acknowledge that from the conduct of rancorous primaries to the campaigns of calumny, the journey to the poll has been awe-inspiring, it is our hope that all the parties would play by the rules. Democracy is about a free choice by the people. Election observers and the media should gird their loins to ensure that the exercise is not compromised. We urge INEC and law-enforcement agencies to be focused and neutral so that the country can build and consolidate on the positive gains of past elections.

Besides, the nation must seriously ponder over the rationality or otherwise of locking down the system each time there is an election with the attendant huge economic loss; as well as the basis for the massive deployment of security personnel to just one state at a time the country is battling worsening internal security challenges.