Edo LG poll: Matters arising

• AfricCon News
  AfricCon Latest Nigerian Report:  Edo LG poll: Matters arising
  Africcon Media, Nigeria
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  The conduct of April 20, 2013 local government council elections in Edo State has come and gone (except for Esan North-East local government council which had its polls cancelled) but the scars of the exercise are still very obtrusive two weeks after.
  
  As a result, there have been claims and counter-claims by the losers and winners of the elections.
  
  The complaints of the opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the main, hinge on poor conduct of the elections arising from late arrival and non-availability of voting materials across the state. The argument is that the development compromised the integrity of the elections.
  
  Consequently, the party, led by its chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, has called for the cancellation of the elections and for fresh polls, even as he also called for the sack of the State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) for alleged incompetence.
  
  “We reject the results announced so far in all the local governments”, Chief Orbih said, and pointed out that the only two wards where free and fair elections took place out of the 192 wards in the state, were his own Ward, Etsako Central Ward 4 where the PDP won the councillorship seat and Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s Ward – Etsako West Ward 10.
  
  He wants Governor Oshiomhole to take responsibility for EDSIEC’s alleged failure and publicly apologize to the people of the state.
  
  Countering the claim of the opposition parties and their call for the cancellation of the elections, the Chairman of ACN, Hon. Thomas Okosun said the call was unnecessary as elections held peacefully in the state, adding that the opposition parties were never ready for the elections but to cause problem.
  
  Absolutely, his party and the state government from late arrival of electoral materials, Hon. Okosun said no political party has influence over EDSIEC as the electoral umpire was truly independent.
  
  “While the ACN was busy campaigning, the opposition was busy gallivanting and because they know they will fail in the election, they had to call for cancellation to cover up for their inadequacies”, he said, pointing out that the opposition would not have been calling for cancellation if they had won the election.
  
  The chairman of the State Electoral Commission, Mr. Solomon Ogoh had explained the reason for delayed arrival of electoral materials, saying the materials were escorted by security personnel from Lagos to Benin by road on election day and that they arrived Benin at about 4.30am.
  
  “The materials were received by EDSIEC officials and representatives of the parties that had gathered to receive materials for election. Distribution started immediately and by 9am there was no material or party agent waiting in the EDSIEC office. This was why EDSIEC postponed the starting time for accreditation from 8am to 11am”, he said.
  
  But voting materials for councillorship election, for Oredo and Ikpoba – Okha could not be delivered by the contracting firm that handled the printing of the electoral materials, forcing EDSIEC’s postponement of elections for the two local governments to April 25, 2013.
  
  Similarly, elections for Esan North-East local government was shifted to April 24, 2013, following delayed arrival of voting materials along with that of Esan West local government on account of alleged electoral violence.
  
  Apparently scandalized by EDSIEC’s lapses in the conduct of the election arising from the late arrival of materials, Governor Oshiomhole requested the electoral body to apologize to the people of Edo State.
  
  Buoyed by its resounding victory in the last gubernatorial election in the state in which the ACN won in all the 192 wards in the state, the party, having campaigned vigorously for the local councils elections had a target to win in all the 18 local government areas. The party’s optimism was fueled by the acclaimed good performance of the Oshiomhole–led government.
  
  Even though the ACN had a smooth sail, winning all 14 council areas during the first batch of elections on April 20, 2013, there were pockets of resistance not from opposition parties alone, but from aggrieved members of the ACN, arising from the fall-outs of the party’s local government primaries. Many of the party’s faithful, who felt dissatisfied, joined forces with the opposition parties. This accounted for why the governor’s convoy was pelted in Auchi, the administrative headquarters of Estako West, his own local government area.
  
  Having protested the conduct of the elections, the opposition parties probably expected a positive response from the government but the strategy adopted by Governor Oshiomhole stunned everyone when he swore into office the 14 council chairmen the next morning after election. The action left the opposition parties with no room to contemplate possible legal option to hold down the swearing-in exercise.
  
  The same pattern was to be adopted by the governor when he also swore-in the chairmen that emerged from the re-scheduled elections for Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha and Esan West local government councils the next day.
  
  The only council which had its rescheduled election cancelled as a result of alleged violence is Esan North – East. The general belief is that the election was annulled because the PDP was likely to win in the area, but according to EDSIEC, the election was cancelled because of the interference of the Minister of Works, Architect Mike Onolememe which “contaminated” and made the electoral process “unmanageable”, in addition to alleged activities of thugs and some overzealous law enforcement officers who made it impossible for EDSIEC officials to perform their functions.
  
  Edo people and indeed Nigerians await the outcome of election in Esan North-East, Chief Tony Anenih’s local government whenever a new date is fixed by EDSIEC.
  
  As is the pattern in the country where any ruling party in a state conducts and win all the seats in a local government election, Edo State may be a little different if Esan North-East is won by PDP in addition to its already won councillorship seat in Etsako Central, Ward 4.
  
  However, that dream may be a tall order given the scenario playing out. The ACN is expected to mobilize its arsenal to try and win the election, just as the PDP lie in wait to resist that effort.
  
  Here lies the real local government election in Edo State where a test of the two parties’ strength would be showcased.
  
  The outcome of the election has generated mixed reactions and commentaries as well as pockets of protests for and against but there is nothing to show that the reactions would alter the results of the elections.
  
  Already, an Election Petition Tribunal headed by Justice Efe Ikponmwonsa as Chairman and with Justices Ohimai Ovbiagele and Stephene Omonua as members, has been constituted by the State Chief Judge, Cromwell Idahosa to hear and determine petitions arising from the conduct of the elections.
  
  It is yet uncertain whether candidates of the PDP in the election will file petitions at the tribunal if the comment of the Chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih is anything to go by.
  
  “I respect the integrity of the chairman of the Tribunal but I have reservations about his choice because he is of the same parents with the Speaker of the State House of Assembly who amended the Local Government Law few days to the election”, he said while reacting to the outcome of the elections.