INEC: 2019 Elections in N/East to Be Determined by Security

* Assures pre-election matters won’t disrupt poll
* Dons call for state of Emergency in Zamfara

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has
reiterated its readiness to hold next year’s general elections,
clarifying, however, that the conduct of the polls in
security-challenged places in the North-east would be determined by
security reports from the military.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Publicity and Voter
Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, told THISDAY Wednesday that
the commission was ready to conduct elections in all parts of the
country next year.

His words, “INEC will conduct election in all parts of the
country, unless it becomes impracticable to conduct election in
maybe in some part of the country or in some local governments. But
this decision will be taken based on security report, our own
internal dynamics and appreciation with the issues. But as at
today, we are determined to conduct election in all parts of
Nigeria.

“So, in some of these local government, we are going to document
and conduct election at the local government headquarters rather
than going into the remote areas where there are still challenge of
insurgency. We are collecting data and compiling report relating to
each local government where we have security challenges.

“But for us to make this determination, we are going to work
with the Nigerian military, we are going to work with SEMA and
other agencies who are working in these areas to make a
determination on places where it is practically impossible to
conduct elections. But any place where it is possible to conduct
election, we are going to conduct elections in those areas.”

There has been renewed Boko Haram attacks on military bases in
the North-east, raising anxiety about the possibility of the
general elections holding in arears prone to terrorists’ raid.

According to the INEC national commissioner, however, “INEC will
conduct 2019 elections in all parts of the country. As at today,
the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in all the States of
the federation have been sending in reports on the state of
security in their various states. We have also gotten detailed
report of places where there have been internal displacement of
persons from the various RECs and we are taking up these thing on
board.

“By our processes and procedures, we are to conduct, organise
and supervise elections in constitutionally recognised states of
the federation. But the Constitution recognises the fact that there
are so many states where the Nigerian military are engaged in
internal security operations and we are liaising with the security
agencies through the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on
Election Security (ICCES) in relation to some of these places where
the Nigerian military and the police are conducting internal
security operations.”

Okoye stressed that the security agencies have assured INEC that
they have the capacity and capability to secure the electoral
environment to enable INEC to conduct elections.

He also explained that the reports the commission received from
some of the RECs indicated that a few local governments, not only
from Borno State have security challenges, but added there was full
activity at the local government headquarters of some of the local
governments, while there are challenges in some of the
constituencies making up the local governments.

Okoye noted, “We have cases of insurgency in the North-east and
we have persons who are internally displaced in the North-east. We
also have persons who are internally displaced in the North
central, especially in places like Benue, Plateau and we are taking
all these things on board,

“We also have persons who are internally displaced who are
living in states other than their own, so we are working with State
Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) and National Emergency
Management Agency in documenting some of these people.”

INEC Assures Pre-election Matters Won’t Disrupt
Poll

And with just 51 days to the February 16, 2019 presidential
election, INEC, has insisted that pre-election matters will not
prevent the commission from conducting the 2019 general
elections.

The electoral body gave this assurance despite court cases
arising from acrimonious primaries conducted by political parties
ahead of the 2019 elections, which are still pending before various
courts.

The Zamfara State All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter, which
the commission has insisted that it does not expect to present any
candidate for the 2019 elections easily comes to mind, as well as
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis in Ogun State, which is
yet be decided by the court, among others.

However, Okoye, told THISDAY that the electoral body did not
have the constitutional right or authority to postpone the conduct
of the 2019 elections as the date and period for the conduct of the
election has been constitutionally circumscribed.

He stressed that the commission is only allowed or permitted to
fix the conduct of the 2019 elections within the constitutionally
circumscribed period and no more.

According to him, “Section 132(1) of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) prescribes that an
election to the office of the President shall be held on a date
appointed by INEC while section 132(2) of the same Constitution
provides that an election to the said office shall be held on a
date not earlier than one hundred and fifty days and not later than
one hundred and thirty days before the expiration of the term of
the last holder of that office.”

Okoye stated categorically that any form of manoeuvre outside
the constitutionally prescribed period would lead to uncertainty
and constitutional confusion, noting that INEC will continue to act
and operate within its constitutional mandate.

He explained that the electoral umpire released its timetable
and schedule of activities in January 2018 and it is determined to
keep to the intendment and schedule of its activities.

Okoye stated, “The Commission is therefore proceeding with its
activities without let or hindrance. The training of its State
Training Officers is proceeding well. The Commission has finalized
its Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2019
Election.

“The procurement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials forms
part of the core activities of the Commission and the Commission is
following its schedule in the procurement of these items.

“No Court decision will obstruct or prevent the Commission from
printing ballot papers. Ballot papers bear the name and logo of
political parties and not the name of candidates. It is therefore
not correct to assume or insinuate or imagine that any of the
pre-election matters will prevent the Commission from carrying out
its constitutional and statutory duties.

“The Commission will therefore organise, undertake and supervise
the two strands of election on the 16th day of February 2019 and
the 2nd day of March 2019.”

The national commissioner also revealed that INEC has set up the
National Situation Room/Collation Center for the forthcoming 2019
general elections, while the commission has also constituted an
advisory committee on Logistics for the 2019 general elections.

The commission, therefore, assured Nigerians that nothing has
happened to necessitate any form of shift or adjustment of the
electoral calendar and the dates released by the commission remains
the dates for the conduct of the election.

It also urged those that registered and are yet to collect their
Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) to do so as all the cards of those
that registered during the Continuous Voters Registration are
available for collection.

Dons Call for State of Emergency in
Zamfara

Meanwhile four university lecturers have called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State
over the massive violence and killings occurring in the North-west
state.

The dons, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim of Centre for Democracy and
Development, Abuja; Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, Centre for Democratic
Research and Training, Zaria; Prof. Massoud Omar, Centre for
Democratic Research and Training, Zaria; Dr. Saluihu Mustapha,
Department of History, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; and Malam
Mohammed Abubakar Nasiru, also of Department of History, Ahmadu
Bello university, Zaria, asked the president to intervened in
Zamfara because the situation had gone out of control of the state
government.

The university teachers in a statement made available to THISDAY
last night said the state had been subjected to massacres and the
killing of thousands of innocent citizens, mainly rural folks,
adding that the brutality with which these attacks were carried out
were unprecedented in recent times in any part of Nigeria.

They, therefore, asked the president to also take further
drastic measure including, dispatching of special forces to the
forests and affected villages to rout out the terrorists and
kidnappers, and interacting frequently with community leaders and
other relevant stakeholders in the search for lasting solution to
the crisis.

According to them, renewed commitment of the leadership of the
security agencies would signify renewed effort to accelerate the
war against terrorism, insurgency, mass kidnapping and mass
murder.

Reviewing the situation in the North-western state, the dons
said outbreak of riots in Tsafe local government on Saturday
22ndDecember, 2018, which according to some reports, had led to the
deaths of over 100 people in the villages of Asaula, Kwadawa, Dogon
Kawo, Mandaba, Yanza, Kulutu,Sakkya and Fegin Dakai, all in eastern
Tsafe, had again brought to the fore the issue of insecurity in
Zamfara State.

They said, “On Monday, December 24, thousands of scared citizens
in the State came out en masse to protest, demanding that the
Nigerian State protects them from killers and bandits, who have
killed over 100 people in the past two weeks, burnt their houses
and destroyed their farmlands and rustled their cattle.

“The reckless pronouncements and ineptitude of the government of
Abdul Aziz Yari has further worsened the security situation in the
state.

“The destruction of the campaign posters of Mr. President shows
the extent to which people are aggrieved against the efforts so far
put in place to contain the problem. This has the potential of
eroding the credibility of Mr. President in one of his
strongholds.”

They stated further, “This carnage is not only limited to Tasfe,
but is widespread all over the towns and villages of Zamfara.
Innocent citizens, made up of defenceless men, women and children
are slaughtered routinely with no help in sight. Women and young
girls are raped in the presence of their parents and husbands; some
are kidnapped, carried into the bush, subjected to incessant rape,
impregnated and sent back to their villages.

“Consequently, many villages in Zamfara State have been
deserted. Economic activities have come to a standstill as farmers
have been ordered by the bandits not to farm. Those who dared them
have been killed. Herders are also not spared. Thousands of cattle
have been rustled and many herders killed. Many people have also
been kidnapped for ransom.”

These developments, they said, have had a negative impact on the
Federal Government’s agricultural policy of Anchor Borrower’s
Programme (ABP), and other social intervention programmes.

Saying the security measures put in place in Zamfara, so far
have failed, they called on the president to intervene directly and
declare emergency rule in the state.

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