Attacks on media, observers, INEC mar supplementary polls

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), on Saturday, condemned attacks on ad hoc staff, media, observers and other electoral  participants during the supplementary polls.
It said the attacks marred the polls.
The CDD Director, MS Idayat Hassan who was represented by an analyst of CDD, Dr  Jideofor Adibe  in Abuja, said that the group’s observers noted incidents of violence and disruption of voting process.
Hassan said the cases were reported in Kano, Sokoto, Benue and Bauchi states where supplementary governorship and Houses of Assembly elections held.

“In Kano State, violence and disruption of polling were widespread as an army of thugs reportedly took over polling activities in several local government areas, including Nasarawa, Dala, Karaye and Gaya.
“It is distressing that political thugs took over the elections, forcing voters to vote along a party line, stoning voters and violently disrupting the elections.  ‘’
Hassan said that this was because Gama ward in Nasarawa LGA in Kano State was strategic to winning the supplementary elections by either of the two leading candidates.
She said that in Sokoto, particularly in Bodinga LGA, Bodinga ward (PU11), a dispute which eventually disrupted the election, erupted between the agents of the two leading parties.
She said it was disrupted over attempts by a party agent to assist voters in voting.
She said that evidence suggested that the deliberate deployment of political thuggery during elections seemed to have become the norm in Nigeria.
She said that the trend was extremely disturbing, and it was imperative to safeguard Nigeria’s  democracy by holding the perpetrators accountable.

Hassan said that the way thuggery was instrumentalised in the elections queried the essence of the massive deployment of security agents to guard the polls, especially when brigandage ruled.
She said in  several instances, the security agents were reported to have turned a blind eye to the act of brigandage perpetrated by the political thugs.
She said that the electoral cycle witnessed so much intimidation, harassment and attack on voters, journalists, observers and INEC officials.
“This unfortunate development, however, took an unprecedented turn in the Kano supplementary elections where party agents and thugs intimidated and attacked voters and observers in the course of exercising their franchise or monitoring the process.’’
Hassan said there was a clear case of where party agents and thugs coerced and intimidated voters to vote for their candidates.
She said that the high level of intolerance against poll monitors was not limited to observers.
She said that in spite of several attempts to entrench peacefully electoral democracy in Nigeria, elections have been marred by upsurge of violence.
She said that the level of impunity at which this gruesome act was being prosecuted by hoodlums at the ballot box and the inability of security agents to respond adequately and hold perpetrators accountable were sources of concern.
Hassan said that incidences of underage voting and vote buying were also recorded where votes were sold for N10,000 and N15,000.

She said there was need to emphasise that the act of vote buying was an offence punishable under the laws and those involved in the act should be arrested and prosecuted according to law.
This, she said, would discourage the increasing rate of the practice.
Meanwhile, YIAGA AFRICA , a Civil Society Organisation, has expressed worry over possession of small and light arms by political thugs during Saturday’s supplementary election in some states.
Dr Hussaini Abdu, Chair, YIAGA AFRICA, Watching The Vote Working Group said this at a news conference on the outcome of the group’s observation during the supplementary election.
Abdu said that illegal possession of arms posed a threat to political stability and human rights.
He said that there is need to investigate the illegal possession of arms by political thugs and hold their sponsors accountable.
“YIAGA AFRICA condemns the deployment of thugs by the two major political parties in the election.
“In spite of huge deployment of security personnel for the election, political thugs visibly attacked voters and and disrupted election in some polling stations.
“The stations are in Kano and Benue and they did it without any resistance or reprimand from security agencies.
“This is worrisome and raises serious questions on the effectiveness of security deployment for the supplementary elections,” he said.
Abdu said that the group also observed voter suppression and intimidation of the media and observers.
He said that there were reports of disruption of electoral process, this included destruction of election materials, clash between political party agents and political thugs. Vehicles were also burnt.
He said that vote buying was also prevalent during the election and threat to secrecy of ballot was seen as voting was done with cubicles and party agents were checking votes cast.
Abdu called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain it’s periodic briefing with election stakeholders and its online and offline media should be used.
He called on security agencies to perform their functions within constitutional limits while providing security for the process.
He also called on the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force to investigate reports of bribery and corruption against officers on election duty.
Mr Samson Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA, said that the group undertook the watching of the vote project to provide Nigerian voters, candidates, political parties, others with information on the election.
Itodo said that the weakest link in Nigeria’s election is result collation, adding that, that is the reason for the group’s focus on it.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed its support for the demands on INEC to cancel  the supplementary governorship election in Kano State.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, said the election should be cancelled because of  the disruption and bloodletting that characterised it.
Ologbondiyan alleged that  all material facts on the supplementary election in Kano State showed how thugs violently took over polling units, attacked and chased away voters and engaged in massive thumb-printing and ballot stuffing.
“INEC is already aware that the Police arrested a Commissioner and some thugs in Yelwa in Dala Local Government Area of the state.
“Also INEC is already aware of how  thugs attacked voters in polling units in Gama area of Kano State during which four PDP members were feared killed and many more injured before they carted away ballot boxes for stuffing.
“The PDP cautions INEC to note that in this circumstance, any results they come out with from this convoluted electoral process will be a sham and will surely be rejected by the people of Kano State,” he said.
Ologbondiyan said it was completely condemnable that the opposition and its candidate would resort to violence as a means of attempting to hold on to power.
He said that the PDP  grew Nigeria’s democracy for 16 years without watering the quest for power with the blood of the innocent as witnessed  in the 2019 general elections.
“The PDP therefore charges INEC to save the nation from crisis by cancelling the Kano Supplementary election, as failure to do so is not in the best interest of our dear nation,” he added.