
Following the conclussion of the Edo State governorship election, attention has shifted to Ondo State, where governorship poll will hold on October 10. WALE ELEGBEDE reports
Edo and Ondo states may have been situated in different geo-political zones, the travel distance between them, however, is a relative bird fly. While Edo State borders Ondo to its west, the Sunshine State has its eastern part sharing border with the Big Heart State.
Edo is in the South-South geo-politico zone, while Ondo is in the South-West zone. Interestingly, the proximity feature between the Edo and Ondo somehow found its way into the political narrative in the states, especially when it comes to the governorship election.
Along with some other five states, Edo and Ondo governorship elections are not conducted during the general elections, but in what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) describedasanoff-cycle election or an isolated poll. This development, which started with the Anambragovernorship election, haslargely been due to court judgements that nullified the election of their governors at different times in the past.
Lastweekend, preciselySeptember19, thepeople of Edo went to polls and re-elected the incumbent governor of the state and candidate of the Peoples DemocraticParty(PDP), Mr. GodwinObaseki.
On October 10, the electorate in Ondo are also expected to choose who will lead them in the Alagbaka Government House in the next four years. However, it’s a reverse situation from the dramatic personae that will vie for victory at the Ondo State governorship position. The incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who is seeking reelection, unlike Obaseki, is from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has more opposition to contend with.
The contest
According totheIndependentNationalElectoral Commission (INEC), 17 candidates from different political parties had been screened and approved toparticipateintheelection, includingAkeredolu.
Giving a picture of how the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State would be conducted, INEC stated that 1,478,460 voters are eligible to determine the fate of the 17 candidates of the various political parties, by casting their votes in the 3,009 polling units in the state.
This number, however, is against the voting population of 1,822,345 in the 18 local government areas within 203 electoral wards and registration areas. The electoral umpire also said that 343,886 voters will not vote as they failed to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVCs). It also explained that it has replaced the over 5,100 Smart Card Readers (SCRs) that got burnt at its state headquarters during a fire incident, by sourcing the material from its
Oyo State office. Speaking recentlyonthestateof preparedness of the commission, the Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said thatINEC hascompleted12itemsout of the14slatedfortheelection, explaining that the only outstanding issues are the submission of the names of polling agents and the last date for campaigns by the political parties.
The INEC boss also explained that the commission has put the ugly fire incident behind it as it has sourced more than 5,100 SCRs from its office in Oyo State. At the moment, he said that the SCRs are being electrically charged and reconfigured. He added that INEC will not use the SCRs from Edo State governorship election because they are kept for post-election activities.
Yakubu announced that INEC will still use the Z-Pad technology itadopted inEdo, explainingthat the commission is aware of some violence in the EdoStategovernorshipandisworkingtoprevent such incidents in the Ondo State poll. Yakubu said that the commission will adhere strictlytotheCOVID-19Protocols, explaining that as was the case in Edo State“ no face mask, no voting.”
He equally said that there would be the infrared thermometer to check the body temperature of voters, adding that “every eligible voter, who is on the queue before 2.30pm will be allowed to vote even if voting, goes beyond 2.30pm. No one will be disenfranchised.”
How the candidates stand
Speaking on the cleared candidates for the election, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, noted that in compliance with Section 31(3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), that 17 candidates from different political parties had been screened to participate in the election.
Okoye explained the reason for making the list and particulars of the candidates’ public, adding that section 31 (5) and (6) of the Electoral Act empowers the general public to verify the claims made by the candidates.
The electoral umpire listed the parties to include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), African Action Congress (AAC), and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Others are Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), All Peoples Party (APP), National Peoples Party (NPP), National Resistance Movement (NRM), Young Progressive Party (YPP), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). For political analysts, the aphorism, many are called but few are chosen, aptly fits the list of contenders for the election.
The three major contenders for the election have been narrowed to Akeredolu of the APC, his deputy and candidate of the ZLP, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, and the candidate of the PDP, Mr Eyitayo Jegede.
Regardless of the streamline, the remaining 14 political parties and their supporters are also making efforts to woo the electorate in the bid succeed Akeredolu and occupy Alagbaka Government House from February 24, 2021. Their campaigns, however, have been on social media and door-to-door.
Of course, the fringe parties, like the three major political parties in the race, are also plagued by internal crises, leadership tussles, lack of transparency, financial constraints and ideological direction.
It is believed that some of the lightweight candidates may end up dissolving their structures into any of the three major parties to seek relevance or enter into last-minute negotiation
Among the leading candidates, the topical factors and issues expected to shape the outcome of the election, appear legion. But the major ones are issues of zoning, rotational government, a referendum on the incumbent and his deputy, among other salient issues.
To show the sensitive spread of the election among the three leading candidates in the three senatorial districts of the state, Akeredolu is from the north, Jegede represents the central and Ajayi stands for the southern interest.
For analysts, the contest will be a frenzy onslaught and close to call given the senatorial identity each of the major candidates possesses and the fact that their kinsmen might be compelled to identify with them. But issues of finance, mobilization, coordination, INEC’s efficiency and security will play roles in the poll.
The US/UK visa ban warning
One of the factors said to have contributed to the near perfect of the recently concluded Edo State governorship election was the threat by the United States (U.S.) and British governments to impose visa ban on election riggers.
Few days to the September19 Edo election, the U.S. andtheUK, issuedsternwarnings, saying that it will take action against individuals whom as termind violence during the Edo and forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State.
On its part, the UK in a statement published on the Twitter handle of the British High Commission in Nigeria stated that the sanction could include restrictions on their eligibility to travel to the UK, restrictions on access to UK-based assets, or prosecution under international law just as it did after 2019 elections.
Earlier, the U.S. had issued warning against violence in Edo and Ondo states, after saying it had imposed visa restrictions on politicians who masterminded violence and rigging of the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
The warnings and enforcement, targeted at political leaders and actors known for violence and election disruptions, apparently tied the hands of potential riggers and violence instigators.
With the U.S. and UK entry visa ban starring on the faces of political actors in Ondo State, it is expected that the poll would be free, fair and credible as witnessed in Edo State.