Checking “Rougish” Election

Professor Maurice Iwu

Several exposes by The Source, political watchers say, set the tone for the peaceful and fair conduct of the Anambra gubernatorial election
By Oji Odu
At the end of the Anambra State gubernatorial poll-quake of February 6, 2010, incumbent governor, Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was left standing of all the candidates in the race for the coveted post, leaving his co-contestants to eat the humble pie.
Events preceding the election, as reported intensely by The Source in several of its editions, especially from late last year, had revealed heightened anxiety in the state due to the consistent contradictions detected in the preparations for the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in addition to the alarm raised by not only Anambrarians, but by Inter -society-Nigeria, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), that the election was already a rigged exercise unless urgent measures were taken to ward off the electoral robbery.
A cross-section of Anambra indigenes long before the election had also denounced the voter registration exercise in the state, dismissing it as a farce and a prelude to the rigging of the poll.
Speaking to The Source on the questionable voter registration exercise, as reported in the September 28, 2009 edition of the magazine entitled: “The Man Who Will Rig Anambra’s Guber Election," Comrade Anthony Odiegwu, President-General, Achalla Town Union (ATU) and chairman, ASATU, Awka North, said: “Prior to this time, they (INEC) had addressed us and even requested all of us, the communities, that those who are interested (in the voters registration) should apply to them for our people to be registered.
“Actually, the INEC requested that we should assist them, like those of us who are in remote areas, that we should help in fuelling their generators,” Odiegwu said.
On his part, Uche Okonkwo, Chairman, Nibo Community, Awka South and acting deputy president-general, told The Source that the community, had to fund the transportation of INEC officials, feeding, et cetera to the tune of about N200,000.
“It has cost us almost N200,000 to do all those things (taking care of INEC officials), and we know that this is not what it is supposed to be. But the fact is that the officials there said INEC ought to fund it, but since they didn’t give them money for logistics, that it is the duty of each town to handle such things,” he stated.
In another Special Report published in The Source edition of February 8, 2010 entitled, “INEC’s Rigging Machine in Anambra,” which was based on excerpts from the Anambra Human Rights Coalition’s letter to the President, United Nations Human Rights Council, Alex Van Meeuwen, a Belgian, on the ominous dangers beclouding Anambra’s February 6, 2010 gubernatorial election, the coalition revealed that INEC deliberately disenfranchised many eligible voters in the current voters registration exercise in order to build up a “rougish” voters register to help it rig the elections.
The INEC had released two separate documents showing that there were 1.8 million and 2.1 million registered voters in Anambra State, respectively, most of who are dead Nigerians, as well as those not of Anambra origin.
“The pictures of some prominent Nigerians, who are not from Anambra State, not to talk of being from the said remote towns, were pasted and given names other than theirs. For instance, the late legal icon and human rights colossus, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) had his picture pasted. His voter's name was changed to Albert O. Asoanya (an Igbo-Nigerian name).
“… While many, out of about 1.5 million disenfranchised eligible voters waited in vain at the INEC’s designated centres, without being registered, many of those allegedly registered in secret places including private homes, were found to have been registered previously,” the letter partly read.
Prior to the election, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national leadership had vowed to win the polls. In spite of the dust raised by the manner the PDP primaries were conducted, which was described as a sham by many, including the candidates, former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo was chosen as the party’s flagbearer.
This action by the National Executive Council of the PDP brought turmoil to the party as other party members and candidates vowed to oppose the Soludo candidacy, with some defecting to other political parties.
Soludo’s rejection by Anambrarians was carried in The Source’s September 21, 2009 edition, entitled,” “Anambra Indigenes Reject Soludo.”
In the edition, Anambrarians had rued the intention of Soludo to join the February 6, 2010 gubernatorial race. They had insisted that the former CBN governor never identified with the people of the state, even as he declared his intention from Abuja.
Former member, Anambra State House of Assembly, and governorship aspirant of the PDP, George Ike-Okoye said: “Professor Soludo should stop insulting the sensibilities of Anambra people in particular, and indeed, Nigerians in general by insinuating a guber ambition in Anambra State.
“His moral duty now is to help Sanusi Lamido, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria clean up the mess he left in the CBN…,” Ike-Okoye said.
Ezekiel Nnaemezie, President-General, Ezira Community, Orumba South, Local Government Area, Anambra State on his part faulted Soludo’s operation from Abuja and dependence on the party headquarters to help install him as the next governor of the state.
Nnaemezie said: “He is supposed to start from his hometown. But this is the problem of his party called PDP. Maybe they want to impose him on Anambra State. I know the PDP has plans to rig the election. We will resist any attempt to impose somebody on us.”
According to Obinwa Cyril Patrick Chuma, President-General, Utu Community, Nnewi South local government area of the state, Soludo’s courting of party (PDP) elders in Abuja means “the people who are propping him are probably from Abuja and not from Anambra State, and probably his intention is to become, maybe the Minister for Abuja Municipality or something like that.”
In The Source’s November 2, 2009 edition, entitled, “No Outsider Can Install Governor For Anambra,” Dr. Dozie Ikedife, immediate past President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the leading pan Igbo organisation, replied the PDP-leadership that only Anambrarians can elect their governor.
Ikedife: “Who is Anenih to come from Edo State to come and install a governor for us? Have we installed for him? Another bag of insult.
“… You see, I don’t now what he means by changing his name from Anenih to Anene. I don’t know what Anenih means. But if he doesn’t mind, ask him to keep his name,” Ikedife said.
The Ohanaeze chieftain went on to dismiss Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State as a night crawler who should take care of the his state’s high rate of HIV cases, rather than insult Anambra people that they cannot rule themselves (when Suswam came to help conduct the state PDP primaries).
The elder statesman gave thumbs up to Governor Peter Obi whose Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS), he said, had touched most sectors and areas in the state, such that has never been done before.
“My interpretation of what Peter Obi is doing in Anambra State is that he is touching many areas simultaneously: health facilities, roads, investment in women development, education, et cetera … So, in that vein, I do support him or do I not? I say, carry on the way you are going,” Ikedife said.
In the opinion poll conducted by The Source and published in its January 18, 2010 edition entitled, “Anambra’s Controversial Candidates – Why the People Prefer Peter Obi,” Anambrarians narrowed the guber contest to a four – way battle between Governor Obi (APGA), Chris Ngige (AC), Soludo (PDP) and Andy Uba (LP), with Obi likely to retain power.
Nicholas Ukachukwu of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and Hon. Uche Ekwunife of the People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA), were described as fringe candidates.
Majority of Anambra people interviewed, including Chief Emeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, had expressed support for Obi’s candidacy especially due to his pet project, ANIDS, which had touched the lives of majority of Anambra people.
However, following The Source’s expose on the ‘accord of the graveyard, allegedly entered into by some top INEC officials with some political parties and their candidates to rob the electoral process of credibility, through the “rougish delineation of electoral constituencies (electoral wards and polling booths), shrouding in secrecy of electoral constituencies, non-registration and non-updating of eligible voters register, with names of the dead and fictitious names,” as revealed in The Source’s edition of September 28, 2009 entitled: “The Man Who Will Rig Anambra’s Guber Election,” the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Roland Uwa was removed and redeployed.
Two months later, about 10 INEC staffers in Anambra State were interdicted for voter registration fraud, with about eight of them dismissed from the commission's employ.
Also, excerpts from the letter by the Anambra Human Rights Coalition to Van Meeuwen, president, UN Human Rights Council, The Source revealed, indicated that the figure of “2.1 million or 1.8 million registered voters emanated from INEC’s fraud and must not be used.
“INEC must accept a moderate between 500,000 and 700,000 genuinely registered voters and not ‘2.1 million’ or ‘1.8 million’ registered voters that exist in its voter’s register.
“…INEC must acknowledge that under normal circumstances, out of the said 500,000 to 700,000 believed to be the authentic list of registered voters, between 300,000 to 400,000 voters are expected to turn out on election day to cast their votes,” the letter stated.
With the election in which about 300,000 participated, now history, and with the key contentious issues of bloated and varied voter figures, and seemingly compromised electoral umpire as reported in The Source’s various exposes settled, Peter Obi (APGA), the incumbent governor of the state won the elections by garnering 97,843 votes. The second position went to Dr. Chris Ngige (AC) with 60,240 votes, while PDP’s Charles Soludo polled 59,355 votes.