On Saturday, November 16, 2013, the electorate in Anambra State will go to the polls to elect a new governor to succeed Mr. Peter Obi, whose tenure will officially come to an end in March 2014. For Anambra, this election offers an opportunity to begin to correct past wrongs and impressions.
For one, that Anambra is holding its governorship election at this odd time in our national election calendar is a sad reminder of its checkered history and unsavoury experience with elections since the commencement of the present democratic dispensation.
It is a result of the many setbacks the state has suffered. At least on two occasions, the wheels of democracy had been bogged down in Anambra – once, for three years, when the mandate which the electorate had freely given to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was hijacked by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and again, for 16 days, when the national electoral commission, through an illicit gubernatorial election, foisted another PDP governor, midway into the tenure of a serving governor.
Not too long after, an ill-constituted state assembly would again throw out the state governor, and hoist up his deputy in his stead, in a rather curious impeachment. That impeachment too would later be voided by the courts.
Before all these, Anambra also made history in infamy as the first and only state where a political godfather – backed and cheered on by the police and an acquiescing central government – orchestrated the arrest, kidnap, illegal detention and purported resignation of his ‘errant’ governor-godson.
Now, with the governorship election less than two weeks away, Anambra is on the march again. Of course, in true Anambra tradition, the atmosphere is charged, with virtually every registered party fielding one candidate or the other.
Of course, everything has been thrown into the fray: issues, personalities, blackmail, intimidation, mudslinging, name-dropping, plenty of money, religion, and just about everything else, as each candidate seeks to have an edge over the others in the battle for the voter’s mind. Thankfully, no direct incidence of violence has been recorded, but the possibilities remain very high.
Of course, the campaigns have also not lacked controversies and confusion. If it is not about a controversial zoning arrangement, then, it is about the confusion over the authentic candidate of one of the parties. It is so bad that as at last Saturday, which was exactly two weeks to the election, it was still not clear who would fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In all, there is every promise of a testy contest in Anambra come Saturday, November 16, 2013.
But, this election is not just about Anambra alone. It is also about Nigeria and the way forward for democracy in the country. Whatever the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes of the November 16 poll in Anambra will probably be a foretaste of what to expect in the 2015 general elections in the country. If INEC fails to get it right in Anambra, it means the 2015 polls could be in trouble. INEC must, therefore, put up a good showing in Anambra. Not only must the electoral umpire be prepared, it must eschew bias and ensure a level playing field for all parties and contestants.
Most of all, INEC must ensure that voting and collation of votes take place only at accredited polling booths and centres. The practice of polling booths suddenly springing up in some evil forests must never repeat itself. INEC must also get its logistics right this time by ensuring that all election materials get to the polling centres on time. We must put a stop to the idea of materials arriving some centres just a few minutes to the end of voting. However, while INEC is working at delivering a foolproof process, the candidates must desist from overheating the polity with spurious and unsubstantiated allegations, which only serve to incite supporters and pave way for violence.
On the part of the police, there must be adequate security for both election officials and the voting public. Although it is common knowledge that every major politician, business person and moneybag in Anambra moves about with his own army of policemen, the authorities must ensure that these private armies are not used to abuse the process on election day. All stakeholders must endeavour to conduct themselves with decorum and respect for order. It is reassuring that President Jonathan has promised that the Anambra election will be freer and fairer than what was witnessed in the Edo and Ondo governorship polls.
We, therefore, enjoin the candidates, the electoral umpire and the electorate, whose actions and inaction will determine the course of this election, to play by the rules. This is another litmus test for INEC, the police and the Jonathan administration to prove that we can get our elections right. For Anambra, this is another chance to prove to the whole world that democracy has finally taken root in the state. May the candidate with the most valid votes be declared winner.
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