As the Ondo State governorship election holds on Saturday, we join peace-loving Nigerians and other stakeholders to call for a hitch-free exercise. Although not less than 17 political parties are billed to participate in the poll, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), are considered to be the most prominent. As the election day draws nearer, the parties are deploying many strategies to market their candidates to sway voters during the exercise.
Being a stand-alone election, there should ordinarily be no cause for alarm. However, reports of attacks in some parts of the state a few days to the election are already sending dangerous signals on what lies ahead. Such violent attacks in an off-season election underscore the need for the police and other security agencies to be on the alert. In fact, the police must sit up. We urge the political actors in the state to play according to the rules. The politicians must conduct themselves creditably and insist that their supporters do the same before, during and after the election.
We urge the relevant organs of the government charged with the election, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to rise up to their responsibilities in ensuring that the poll is free, fair and transparent. Undoubtedly, the stakes are so high in the Ondo poll. Coming on the heels of the recent relatively successful Edo State gubernatorial election, INEC must show improvement with the exercise. Let it use Ondo poll to correct noticeable lapses in Edo.
The electoral body should ensure that it does not slip down the ladder of what it achieved in Edo. Nigerians look up to the electoral umpire to be transparent and apolitical in conducting the Ondo election. It is hoped that the outcome of Ondo election will be as transparent as the one of Edo or even more. Anything less will be an indictment on the nation’s electoral process. How Ondo people and other Nigerians will perceive the outcome of the poll will largely depend on how transparent the exercise is and how local and international observers rate it. This is why INEC must up its performance in Ondo poll.
For sake of emphasis, the Ondo election must be free, fair and transparent. There is need to respect the wishes of Ondo people. And the best way to do that is to ensure that their votes count. INEC must not only be impartial but should be seen to be so. There should be no manipulation of figures in any way. A successful outing in Ondo will rekindle faith in our electoral process. It will also imbue trust in the recent efforts by the Commission to migrate to electronic voting (e-voting) which is in line with the agenda to reform the country’s electoral system.
INEC must ensure that cases of malfunctioning card readers and voters not finding their names in the voter register or not locating their polling units do not arise. We call for adequate security in the state during and after the exercise. However, the deployment of security must not be excessive to scare or intimidate the voters. In Edo, allegations of intimidation by security agents were negligible. We expect a more transparent outing in Ondo. With a Deputy Inspector General (DIG), an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) and 11 Commissioners of Police (CPs) and others deployed for the election, there is hope that the Ondo poll will be peaceful. We urge the senior police officers to bring their wealth of experience to bear on the exercise. We urge all security agents deployed for the poll to be professional and patriotic in the course of duty.
The Ondo poll should be devoid of the ugly experiences of Osun, Kogi and Bayelsa gubernatorial elections. Voters in Ondo must be allowed to have their way in electing who governs them. We enjoin the voters to turn out in large numbers to cast their ballots and ensure the success of the exercise.
Given Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa and the West African sub-region, it must set good examples in conducting transparent and acceptable election, especially in a stand-alone exercise as in Ondo. Failure to do so on Saturday will count against President Muhammadu Buhari’s pledge to put in place a legacy of transparent electoral culture. That will not be good enough for the country’s image among other nations. Therefore, government should spare no effort to ensure the success of the Ondo election.