The just concluded Ekiti state governorship election and the Osun state election scheduled for August 9 are expected to play a vital role in the 2015 general elections. SAMUEL OGIDAN examines the muscle flexing by the ruling PDP and opposition APC in the build up to 2015 polls
The vibration and echo of Ekiti and Osun states governorship election are not in isolation as they only tell Nigerians what to expect in 2015 general elections. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are only using the elections of the two states to test muscles and popularity, hence the vibrating noise emanating from the land of Oduduwa, as the entire South West is known..
“All is fair in war.” This adage simply explains the reason both the PDP and APC are deploying their arsenal to ensure they coast home victory, notwithstanding the consequence of their actions and inactions on the country.
The insults, allegations, accusation, castigation, name-calling, back- stabbing, assassination of characters among others cannot be ruled out from what is expected on the way to 2015 because they are part of the weapons to be deployed by both parties.
The Ekiti governorship election, which the PDP candidate, Ayo Fayose eventually won on Saturday, speaks volume of what to expect in next year’s presidential election. This is why the two parties are not taking anything to chances. For instance, the newly elected national chairman of APC, John Odigie Oyegun, in his inaugural speech had accused President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling party of trying to subvert Ekiti governorship election using the federal might.
But the PDP described the allegation as blackmail and lies, insisting that it was a “smoke screen to mask the plan by the APC governors to storm Ekiti state, set up camps in different local governments and use the privilege of their immunity status to perpetrate violence, induce voters, subvert the electoral law and the true will of Ekiti people.”
Oyegun said: “My first message today is to President Goodluck Jonathan regarding a series of occurrences that point to the fact that the PDP is bent on rigging the elections and writing the results of the Saturday elections in Ekiti even before the polls open. If this dangerous trend is not arrested, the consequences will be dire for democracy and our country.”
“The All Progressives Congress will not accept the outcome of the election in Ekiti unless the authorities provide convincing explanations to the series of questionable developments in recent times.
“Mr. President, there is clear intent and deliberate ploy to subvert the elections.
We warn Mr. President, that election rigging in a particular of the country in the past has always had serious consequences for the government in power and the country as a whole. As it happened in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Republics, the APC will not fold its arms and watch the electoral process being brazenly subverted.
“Our party, will not accept any result from Ekiti that does not flow from a transparent election. We are not asking for any favors. We only demand a free and fair election,” Oyegun added.
Deriding the APC for its position, the PDP countered by alleging plot by the opposition to manipulate the just concluded poll. It said: “Part of this plot is the highly inflammatory address by the National Chairman of the APC, Odigie-Oyegun wherein he issued threats to President Goodluck Jonathan and our great party using wild allegations, blackmail and lies as smoke screen to mask the plan by the APC governors to storm Ekiti state, set up camps in different local governments and use the privilege of their immunity status to perpetrate violence, induce voters, subvert the electoral law and the true will of Ekiti people.
“This is in addition to an orchestrated plot to use the Ekiti state owned television, EKTV to spread false information in the state, mislead the people and announce fake results at the end of the day.
“This is completely condemnable and only demonstrates the desperation of the APC in the face of rejection by the people.
“Based on the reality on the ground in Ekiti, it has since become common knowledge that the people of Ekiti state have since settled for our candidate, Mr. Ayodele Peter Fayose. for which the APC have become distraught,” the party said.
However, last Saturday’s poll took another dimension with the opposition APC accusing the PDP-led federal government of using security agents to intimidate and harass their leaders.
In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed alerted Nigerians and the international community to the massive clampdown on the party leaders as well as journalists during the election in Ekiti state.
‘’Ekiti has witnessed a massive turnout of voters despite the massive deployment of troops and policemen, ostensibly to provide security for the election but in reality to intimidate and harass voters to stay away from the polling units.
‘’Now that the strategy of the PDP-led federal government has failed despite their over-militarization of the state, they have unleashed security agents on the leaders of the APC to prevent them from monitoring the collation of results,’’ APC said.
But his PDP counterpart, Olisah Metu reacted by cautioning the opposition to stop behaving like a rebel group, adding, “the APC must understand that it is an opposition party and not a rebel group and as such must jettison all actions and tendencies that portray it in that light.”
According to him, “Nigerians of all walks of life have continued to express worry over the character of the APC as an opposition party. The APC must realize that in a democracy, being an opposition party demands a great responsibility marked by constructive engagement and propagation of alternatives in the general interest.
The APC must be advised to undertake a survey of how other opposition parties conduct themselves.”
“Nigerians are no longer comfortable with an opposition driven by frustration and bitterness; characterized by a compulsive penchant for lies and deceit. They do not want an opposition that has no regard for the national interest but behave as if it has no stake in the Nigerian project,” the party said.
It specifically accused APC of breaking Section 99(1) Electoral Act 2010 (As amended), which clearly provides that “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.
In the same vein, section 128 of the Electoral Act provides that any person who at an election acts or incites others to act in disorderly manner commits an offence.
The Ekiti election is over and the incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi is magnanimous in defeat by congratulating Fayose. This certainly is a lesson in leadership. However, the pertinent question here is; can PDP repeat same feat in Osun governorship poll in August and by extension the 2015 presidential election?
