Politics
Consolidating Nigeria’s Electoral Successes
On September 19, the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), proved book makers wrong by conducting what has so far been termed as one of the freest and most credible elections in the country.
The election was devoid of the usual violence and conspiracies to steal the mandate of the electorate to choose who governs them.
INEC, in just 24 hours delivered a verdict from the Edo polls, that returned incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for a second term in office.
That day, Edo, The Heartbeat of the Nation, was calm and the fear that the state would experience bloodletting was doused by the conduct and carriage of most of the political stakeholders, before, during and after the governorship polls.
Months before the exercise, following the utterances from political gladiators, Edo was almost torn apart, as hoodlums masquerading as party loyalists, fought at the gate of the palace of the Benin monarch.
The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, had prior to the incident, said that he would call his sons, Obaseki and his main challenger, Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, to a peace meeting, in order to ensure violence-free election in Edo.
The Oba did. With the National Peace Committee, led by former military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Bishop Matthew Kukah, its secretary, following immediately after, a peace accord was eventually signed, setting the stage to what came out of Edo.
The questions now are: After Edo what next? Will INEC do an encore in the next election already scheduled for Ondo State on October 10? Will the votes of the Ondo State electorate count and will it also be non-violent?
INEC already knows that all eyes are on it and that if it achieves the same feat as it has done in Edo, it would have fully restored credibility in the nation’s electoral system.
In Edo, INEC used its newly created Z-pad, a technology-driven visual portal to upload all results collated at the polling units to a central portal to remove any act or attempt to manipulate the outcome of the results at the various collation centres.
The Z-pad was akin to the strategy adopted by then Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, for the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election.
The Commission mounted a bill board at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, where collated results were published in quick sequence.
Available results showed that Chief MKO Abiola, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party was coasting to victory before the election was annulled.
The Z-pad adopted by INEC for Edo governorship election worked as the usual cobwebs which hitherto festooned the dusky beams of form EC8, the document for the recognised manual transmission of results, were removed.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on September 23 began a three-day visit to Ondo State to assess the preparedness of his men to replicate the feat in Edo.
He assured Nigerians, especially Ondo State electorate that the Commission was fully ready for October 10.
The reassurance has been a soothing balm to the people, after a wild fire on September 10, torched more than 5,000 card readers for the polls stacked in containers in the state INEC office.
“We have already recovered. Unfortunately, we lost 5,000 smart card readers, but we recovered by getting the prerequisite number of card readers from the neighbouring Oyo State, and they have been delivered.
“They have arrived, been charged and configured and are ready for the election on October 10, in Ondo State.
“ We will use the Z-pads to upload results on election day real-time and we have moved those Z-pads from Edo to Ondo State for the election.
“So, the same preparations that we made for Edo, we have also made for Ondo State, so we are prepared for the election,” he said.
Yakubu said he would also meet with the council of traditional rulers, security agencies, and officials of the Commission in the 18 local government areas of the state for the purpose of the election.
“This is the first visit. We are still coming back a week after for the main stakeholders’ visit and the signing of the peace accord,” he said.
INEC achieved success in Edo, but remaining on top is usually a major challenge for persons and institutions that must be exposed to tests.
It is expected that the umpire will not relax as it must gather all information on what transpired in all previous elections, assess what went wrong in some instances and do its possible best to correct them.
Available records showed that Edo has 2.21million registered voters, 1.73 million qualified to vote, as 483,796 persons failed to collect their voter cards.
The winner emerged with 307,955, votes, while the state’s population from a 2014 estimate is five million.
Obviously, it was not 100 per cent success in Edo as there were still cases of poor voters’ turnout, intimidation by the presence of 30,000 police men, harassment of mostly female voters and various allegations of vote-buying.
Various groups, politicians, diplomatic community and ordinary Nigerians have hailed Edo polls and want its lessons to spread to Ondo State and other subsequent polls.
The U.S., which had issued a no visa order on any person that could undermine the Edo polls, on September 24, endorsed the processes that led to a successful Edo polls.
The country lauded INEC and the security agencies on the positive roles they played during the election, which it said, strengthened democracy in the country.
It called on all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and the security agencies to improve the electoral process during the October 10, Ondo State governorship election.
“The United States remains concerned with reports of some violence that did emerge during the election, and reports of vote-buying and intimidation of both voters and civil society domestic observers.
“We will continue to encourage all stakeholders, including INEC, political parties, and the security services to improve the electoral process in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election.
“As a democratic partner of Nigeria, the United States remains committed to working together to achieve our mutual goals of peace and prosperity for the citizens of both countries,” it said via the Facebook page of the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria.
The U.S. stressed the need for all Nigerians and other stakeholders to give its support in anyway, to make the system better for posterity.
Analysts recall that former President Goodluck Jonathan, demonstrated statesmanship and sportsmanship after the 2015 Presidential Election as he put a call to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevent endless tussle at the election tribunal and usher in peace to the electoral space.
Buhari had since built on this by making sure that there was improvement in conduct of elections so that the opposition, no matter who, has the hope that victory can come its way.
Nigeria cannot afford to disregard the already established principles; the country should continue marching forward. It can never be late.
Ugwu is of the News Agency of Nigeria.
The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Red Chamber confirmed Amupitan after a voice vote conducted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and after undergoing screening and answering questions posed by the lawmakers.
Amupitan had earlier arrived at the National Assembly complex earlier, exchanged pleasantries with Senators.
He was accompanied to the chamber by the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, and other dignitaries.
At about 12:50 p.m., the nominee was ushered into the Senate chamber by the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abubakar Lado, and was already seated ahead of the commencement of the exercise.
Amupitan was allowed into the hallowed chamber after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved that Order 12 be set aside to allow visitors into the chamber, and he was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio welcomed Amupitan, his family members, and well-wishers to the Red Chamber, commending them for their presence.
Before introducing himself to the Senators for the question and answer session to take off, Akpabio disclosed to his colleagues that the nominee had been cleared by the office of the National Security Adviser after vetting.
According to Akpabio, the office of the Department of State Services had also cleared him.
The Senate President also said that the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, having done a fingerprint search on him, cleared him and said that he had no criminal records with the police.
The screening exercise commenced at about 12:55 p.m. following Akpabio’s opening remarks, during which he outlined the procedures to be followed by the lawmakers in considering the nominee’s credentials.
The screening session focused on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and measures to deepen the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Following his confirmation by the Senate, Amupitan will oversee preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and lay the groundwork for the 2027 general elections.
The Tide source earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu had nominated Amupitan, a Professor of Law from the University of Jos, to succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The President’s letter conveying Amupitan’s nomination was read on the floor of the Senate by Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Jos, Amupitan, is widely regarded for his expertise in constitutional and international law.
He said, although he was deeply concerned about some governors and lawmakers defecting to the APC, the party was working quietly behind the scenes to stabilise its ranks and rebuild public trust.
“If you ask me whether I’m concerned about our governors leaving for APC, I am more than concerned. But leadership is a burden. As a leader of a group of equal status, I cannot determine the decisions or inactions of my colleagues, but certainly, a lot of work is being done behind the scenes,” he said.
The Bauchi governor accused the APC-led federal government of using coercive tactics to weaken the opposition, saying the ruling party was bent on turning Nigeria into a one-party state.
“You know the style of leadership of the APC-led federal government in trying to make this country a one-party state. They have the power of coercion; they have the power of everything,” he said.
Governor Mohammed, however, maintained that the defections would not derail the PDP’s resurgence, stressing that most Nigerians at the grassroots remained loyal to the party.
“Even those who left are not finding it easier because most of the people at the grassroots level are PDP and are not happy with the defections. Sometimes it is done because of permutations and calculations. But I assure you I am not going anywhere. I am in PDP, and my state has no element of division,” he explained.
Governor Mohammed revealed that more defections could occur, including from lawmakers in his state, but insisted the PDP structure in Bauchi remained solid.
“Even today, I saw in the news that one of my senators is going. They are being controlled, they are being bought, but certainly, the state is PDP. Nigerians want change, and they believe they can get it through the PDP,” he stated.
The governor emphasised that the PDP had laid the foundation for most of Nigeria’s measurable achievements under successive governments and that the party remained the only credible platform capable of providing national renewal.
“Most of the measurable achievements by the federal government were done by PDP regimes. By the grace of God, if we stand firm, we will deliver. Some of us who won as governors were not even considered capable, and here we are. That’s what will play out in 2027,” he said.
Addressing concerns over potential threats to the forthcoming convention, the PDP stalwart said the party leadership was working to resolve internal disputes and litigations aimed at destabilising preparations.
“I cannot speak for the National Working Committee, but as a leader within the party, I know they are doing their best to address issues of litigations. Many are artificially created to undermine us, but we don’t have any faction in the PDP,” he said.
He noted that while some individuals had approached the courts to stop the party’s convention, the PDP remained more organised than most opposition parties.
“Comparatively, most of the other parties are not better off than us. We are better off than most opposition parties. We are the only ones intact; with one National Secretary, one National Chairman, and one Publicity Secretary. This meeting gives hope that at the end of the day, we will deliver,” he said.
On reports of Governor Peter Mbah’s rumoured defection from the PDP, Governor Mohammed said Governor Mbah had not formally declared any intention to leave and remained a respected colleague.
“Actually, Governor Mbah has not told us his position. It is a personal decision. We cannot remove his picture before he leaves. When he leaves, we will replace him with another person. Up till now, he has not told me he’s leaving,” he said.
He also dismissed speculation surrounding Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, describing him as a loyal member of the PDP who had endured significant challenges in office.
“He has not left the party; he is still PDP. Everybody has his own style. He is a humble young man who has gone through so much and has done well to accommodate all the problems and challenges he found himself in,” he said.
Commenting on speculations about a possible 2027 presidential project involving former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Bauchi governor said the PDP remained open to prominent figures who wished to return or associate with the party.
“People are still interested in this party, and these big names being associated with us make us happy. As governors, we have resolved to put personal interests aside. We are united and will come up with leadership that will be the best choice for Nigerians to put in Aso Rock, inshallah,” he stated.
Governor Mohammed reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP and expressed optimism that new, visionary leaders would emerge from the party in 2027 to defeat what he called the APC’s ‘deceptive’ style of politics.
“If somebody goes, just like a bird, they go, they come. Please, don’t blame anybody at the governors’ level; we are doing our best, but it is beyond our control,” he said.
In a statement following his recent visit to the United States and Rome, Mr Obi said he used the pilgrimage as an opportunity to seek divine intervention for Nigeria’s unity, peace, and responsible leadership.
He stated that after addressing members of the Friendship Club in the US and speaking at the 1st Ubuntu African Youth Assembly in Washington, he proceeded to Rome to join his wife for a spiritual retreat.
“With hearts full of gratitude, we thanked God that, despite our differences and the many challenges faced over 65 years of independence, He has kept us together as one nation,” Mr Obi said.
During the pilgrimage, the couple visited the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome — St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s Basilica — where they met with other Nigerian pilgrims.
“Along the way, we met many Nigerian pilgrims: men and women of faith whose faces shone with quiet hope. Together, we renewed our trust in God’s mercy and in the promise of a better Nigeria,” he added.
Reaffirming his faith in both divine providence and civic duty, Mr Obi maintained that prayer must be matched with personal and collective effort.
“Faith does not absolve us of responsibility; it calls us to action. We must each continue to do our part, with honesty, diligence, and love, for our nation’s healing and progress,” he said.
Mr Obi was accompanied by his wife, Margaret, during the pilgrimage, which also included an audience with His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, at the Vatican City.
