KOGI, Bayelsa and Imo state residents will elect a new governor next Saturday, November 11, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts the states’ off-cycle governorship poll.
The states are three of eight states in Nigeria with off-season governorship polls. Others are Ekiti, Anambra, Ondo, Edo and Osun.
The former INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee Chairman, Festus Okoye, announced the election date in October 2022.
While the current governor of Imo State’s term expires on January 14, 2024, Okoye said the governors of Kogi and Bayelsa States had respective terms that expire on January 26, 2024, and February 13 of the same year.
Tinubu seeks transparent elections
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, November 2, pleaded with all candidates participating in the elections and the electorate to ensure free and fair exercise.
The President made the call while handing over his party’s – All Progressives Congress (APC) – flags to standard-bearers in Abuja on Thursday, November 2.
He gave the flags to Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, who is running for a second term, Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa state, and Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi state.
“All I am pleading for is for free and fair elections. I believe we will do well,” Tinubu said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
The President expressed optimism regarding the party’s chances of winning the elections, citing the candidates’ qualifications, diligence and the combined efforts of party officials.
Violence may mar elections – Study
The elections in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states are likely to witness violence, a study by Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has shown.
Findings of pre-election environment risk assessment carried out by KDI in the three states showed that the states saw violence in previous governorship polls, and the factors that triggered such crises remained.
Elections in Imo and Kogi are more susceptible to violence than in Bayelsa, according to the findings.
In Imo, the activities of secessionists – The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network – and other armed non-state actors are a threat to the poll.
In Kogi, political thugs and other armed criminals capable of re-enacting the attack at Ochadamu ward, where the Women Leader of Wada Aro Campaign Council, Acheju Abuh, was burnt alive in her home by suspected thugs in 2019, are still on the ground.
There are many roads linking Kogi state. Kogi borders ten states, and there are issues of herders-farmers crisis.
It will be easy for people to come into the state to perpetrate crime during the election, said KDI’s Team Lead, Bukola Idowu, while presenting the findings in Abuja on Friday, October 27.
Similarly, in Bayelsa, political thugs with good knowledge of the state waterways could unleash mayhem.
However, the organisation noted that despite its findings, there were opportunities to explore to ensure the peaceful conduct of the election.
Police promise adequate security
The Police said they had intensified security towards the peaceful conduct of election in the three states.
In an exclusive chat with The ICIR on Friday, November 3, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the newly confirmed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun had ordered the release of additional equipment and personnel to the three states for support.
Adejobi said the Police prepared and shared the operation order containing the deployment, administrative and operational instructions for election security in the affected states.
“Many senior officers would be sent to take charge of the key areas up to the local government areas in the state for adequate supervision.
“We have catered for the protection of all electoral officers, observers, media, and materials, and INEC offices and facilities.
“We are paying the election allowances for all our officers detailed for the special duties,” Adejobi stated.
He said the Police would engage the stakeholders regularly to preach and embrace peace before, during and after the elections.
He added that the force had trained all the personnel that would be involved in the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for election security management.
Military gives assurance of security
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Gwabim Musa, has assured of the readiness of the armed forces to enforce the presidential directive to deal decisively with perpetrators of electoral violence.
The CDS gave the warning during his operational visit to troops in Kogi State.
Additionally, he issued a warning, saying, “The armed forces have zero tolerance for electoral violence and will ensure total compliance with the presidential directive to deal decisively with violators,” urging voters to shun violence during elections and embrace peace and tolerance.
He warned security personnel not to involve themselves in any act unfavourable to the smooth conduct of the election.
Musa instructed the state’s senior military commanders and security chiefs to establish a conducive atmosphere enabling voters to discharge their civic duty and vote for the candidates of their choice.
He said security personnel would be monitored to ensure they carried out their responsibilities as required and cautioned against compromising the poll.
Voters collect 5.1m PVCs in Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi
The INEC said over five million Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) had been collected in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi ahead of the November 11 governorship elections in the states.
The commission, in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun in Abuja, on Monday, October 30, said the uncollected number of PVCs in the three states was 239,746.
The statistics for the three states revealed that in Bayelsa, out of 1.1 million (1,056,862) registered voters, 1,017,613 had obtained their PVCs, while 39,249 remain uncollected.
In Imo State, there were 2.4 million (2,419,922) registered voters, with 2,318,919 having received their PVCs, while 101,003 PVCs remained uncollected.
According to the statement, out of 1,932,654 registered voters in Kogi state, 1,833,160 have collected their PVCs, leaving 99,494 with the commission.
He, however, added that the detailed information on the PVCs had been uploaded to the commission’s website, www.inecnigeria.org.
Top candidates
Bayelsa StateIn Bayelsa, South-South, 16 candidates will be slugging it out to win the top seat of the oil-rich state. The major three candidates include the incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former governor and the immediate Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Udengmobofa Eradiri of the Labour Party (LP).
The ICIR reported on Tuesday, October 10, that a Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified Sylva from participating in the exercise on Monday, October 9. The court argued that he had taken oath as an elected governor twice.
However, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, October 30, reversed the lower court’s ruling and declared Sylva as the valid candidate of the APC for the election.
Kogi State
According to the candidates’ list published by INEC, the governorship elections in Kogi state will be keenly contested by 18 candidates.
Among the leading candidates jostling for the number one seat in the state are Murtala Yakubu Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dino Melaye of the PDP, Ododo Usman Ahmed, APC and Leke Abejide of African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Imo State
The major candidates are the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma of the APC, Athan Nneji Achonu, LP and Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP.
The ICIR, in this report, looks at the chances of top candidates in the three states.
Insecurity has been a significant challenge in the South-East region, and it has led to the deaths of more than 1,700 people between January 2021 and June 2023.
Deaths occur from protests, armed clashes, abductions, mob violence, activities of secessionist groups, riots, electoral violence, and other causes.
Update: The number of off-cycle states election was updated.
A reporter with the ICIR
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