Based on security advice, the Edo state gubernatorial election that was supposed to hold on Saturday, September 10, 2016 has been shifted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) by two weeks. It will now hold on Saturday, September 28, 2016.
The police and the Department of State Services had appealed to INEC, the body which has the legal duly to regulate elections in the country, to consider “possible postponement” citing intelligence reports of plans by insurgents/extremist elements to attack vulnerable communities and soft targets between the 12th and 13th of September.
Edo State was listed as one of the states on the list of the security agents where insurgents were allegedly planning to attack during the period. The state governor, Adams Oshiomhole had earlier raised the alarm alleging the registration of more than 8,000 militants by governors of states in the region and the invasion of the state by the militants.
This was days after the Comrade Governor declared that the state was free and that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) ready for the election. The opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had also declared its preparedness for the postponed election.
Earlier, students writing the General Certificate of Education (GCE) modulated by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) had protested the fixing election on that day as it fell on a day they would write an important paper compulsory to all – Mathematics.
Their protest was hinged on the fact that on election day, there would be no movement, which could jeopardise their hope of writing this very important paper WAEC conducts in West Africa and could not have postponed the paper in Edo State only.
INEC, initially, decided to go ahead with the elec-tion on September 10, because, according to it’s National Commissioner in Charge of Voter Education, Prince Solomon Soyebi, “INEC cannot shift the election on the basis of security report.”
But reason prevailed and the commission made a U-turn to announce the new date for the election” in view of deployment of security personnel country wide to secure lives and property which would over stretch their capacity to, at the same time provide adequate security for the election.”
In spite of this explanation for postponement, politicians, especially of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) stock and their supporters started to bicker on the postponement. While describing the shift as illegal, unconstitutional and breach of the people’s trust in INEC, the PDP alleged that shift in date was a ploy to buy time for the APC, which it said was heading for a major electoral catastrophe. Also, Governor Adams Oshiomhole condemned the two-week shift saying; “It is too long.
If INEC is not ready to do election this week, what is wrong with next week? Next week will be fine…because of the planned coronation of the Oba of Benin that has been fixed for September 26.” Fifty-four militants who had allegedly invaded Edo from neighbouring Delta State were later arrested in a popular hotel in Benin, the state capital and Okada town.
This has, however, vindicated the security operatives’ report. We commend the security operatives’ proactive move for averting an imminent bloodshed. We also commend them for coming out boldly to expose their shortcomings on the postponed election. 20,000 security personnel had earlier been earmarked for the Edo guber election.
These personnel would have been mopped up for this purpose from other states. But with the threat of terrorist attack, especially during sallah in some states, this was not possible again. However, this information should have come earlier, rather than the election week.
For those who believe that security agencies should be able to contain whatever happens in Edo, they should know that the agencies also have their limitations. They were able to contain similar threats for May Day, Democracy Day as well as Eid-el- Fitri earlier in the year because there was no election holding anywhere then in Nigeria. We believe that while the election in Edo is important, security agencies should not allow the peace of the country to be disrupted.
Kudos also to the for the courage to do the needful in spite of pressure from politicians. If the commission had gone ahead to hold the election on the prompting of politicians and violence erupts, it is the same politicians that will point fingers at the commission.
We hope the INEC will, however, move from holding inconclusive polls and postponement of election, to that of doing a perfect job in Edo, come September 28. In future, INEC, while choosing dates for elections, should work with all stakeholders (which include students, workers, and traditional institutions. Not only politicians) in picking dates for elections.
