Coalition officers shun Bauchi elections ALL eyes are on Imo State today as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) holds supplementary election in four local councils and a ward in Oguta area of the state in order to determine the winner of the April 26 gubernatorial polls.In this regard, no fewer than 108 members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from Enugu State will be deployed for the conduct of todays supplementary elections in Imo State.Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Enugu State, Josiah Uwazuruonye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Enugu that the directive came from INEC headquarters in Abuja.And collation officers in the 11 registration areas in Ningi Local Council, Bauchi State yesteday failed to turn up for the rescheduled State House of Assembly election.The Electoral Officer in the area, Mrs, Hadiza Bome, disclosed this when INEC National Commissioner, Col. Muhhamed Hammanga (rtd) and the Bauchi REC, Iliya Audu visited the area.Meanwhile, efforts to abort the Imo supplementary governorship election yesterday failed at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, as the court did not hear two actions, seeking to stop the election. No official explanation was given for the Judges absence. Five indigenes of Imo State had filed two separate suits at the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from holding the said supplementary election in the state just as a similar case filed by the All Progressive Grand Alliance and its governorship candidate in Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, did not go on.The plaintiffs, namely Bob Njemanze, Kingsley Ihegworo, Chief Alan Onyemaechi, Nwokedi Jideofor and Emmanuel Ihim, are praying the court to hold that the May 6, 2011 supplementary election into the office of the Imo State Governor is unconstitutional.And, National Chairman, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, yesterday called for an initiative towards curtailing the use of money to induce voters, saying public office seekers should endeavour to convince the electorate to vote for them by articulating sound policies and programmes in their campaigns.While admitting that this years general elections were successful despite the obvious challenges when compared to the previous ones, Onu submitted that it was hasty to jump into conclusion that the elections were free, fair and credible, saying doing so would amount to ignoring the pitfalls that trailed the process and conduct of the polls.The ANPP chairman spoke while receiving a delegation from the Country Office of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), led by the Senior Country Director, Carlo Binda in his office in Abuja.In a related development, Mr. Titus Uzor, Special Adviser on Security to Governor Ikedi Ohakim, yesterday said arrangements had been concluded to ensure smooth conduct of todays supplementary governorship election in Imo.Onu stressed the need for both local and international election observers to focus more on the rural areas where he said rigging and manipulation take place. Nevertheless, he commended the democratic spirit of Nigerians, which he said led to the success of the general elections.Most people, without any form of qualifications, talk about the elections, having been very free, fair and credible. For us, yes, there were improvements, but we cannot make those comments because if we do that, it means that we are ignoring all the weaknesses we saw in the electoral processes. Besides, there is danger if we do that because there will be no room for improvement, he said.He said the ANPP had taken a very close look at the general elections and we are satisfied, we are happy that the elections in 2011 showed significant improvement in a number of areas, but still, we feel there are very disturbing signs and developments as well as actions within the last election. For instance, we have instances where the will of the people was not respected. What we have seen in the electoral process is that Nigeria in virtually divided into two segments.One of the two segments comprise where elections were reasonably free and fair. For instance, in the South West region of the nation and some parts of the north. But there are other parts of the country where elections were not free and fair, principally in the south east and south-south parts of the nation, as well as some states of the north.He said because of the relative fairness of the elections in the South West, people who lost the elections, even sitting governors, were quick to congratulate those that won, saying this development had not happened before.Uwazuruonye said: As a result of what happened in the country concerning youth corps members, most of them are no longer eager to continue participation as ad hoc staff in respect of the election. Most of them still nurse the morbid fear that what happened in the north might also be extended to them in the east.Bome said there was a clash between the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents in Didanga polling unit.The electoral officer told the commissioners that a presiding officer was beaten at Gwada polling unit and that after he left, people started massive thumb printing of ballot papers.She quoted the officer as saying that he would cancel the election in the polling unit.Bome also informed the commissioners that another INEC staff, Abdullahi Barau, was beaten in Balma ward, with a threat to his life if he went back to the area.
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