Violence Threatens Gubernatorial Polls

Except government moves to stem the brazen and unwarranted attack on youth corps members, ensure their safety and restore their confidence on its ability to protect them, INEC may not be able to conduct the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections scheduled for April 26th. Besides, angry voters in most northern states have burnt their voter cards in protest and automatically disenfranchised themselves from partaking in the gubernatorial elections. These and many more challenges put next Tuesday’s polls in jeopardy Michael Oche writes.
Indications point that next Tuesday’s polls may be in jeopardy unless urgent steps are taken. Frustrated voters are burning their voter cards in large section of the north and corps members are fleeing as parents continue to raise concerns for the safety of their wards
A Keke NAPEP operator who gave his name as Ibrahim told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, "I am disappointed with the process but since I cannot take to the street I have decided not to partake in future elections. In fact, I have burnt my voter card because it has no use to me"
INEC offices were razed in some areas by rampaging youths, a situation which has left the Commission short of ad hoc staff, as youth corps member, willing to work for it in those state were frightened by that. Although INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega insists the elections would go on as scheduled despite the violence it may not be that easy and seamless.
The governorship and House of Assembly elections in Jigawa State may be affected by the shortage of ad-hoc officials as some members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have abandoned their primary assignments.
Corps members serving in Hadejia Local Council had sent a Save Our Souls (SOS) message to the NYSC coordinator in the state following threats to their lives during post- election violence in the area last Monday.
Consequently, the state NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Baba Ahmed, has withdrawn the 350 corps members from the area due to insecurity.
Ahmed said the corps members were withdrawn from their places of primary assignments because of threats to their lives by hoodlums in the area.
He said that the NYSC had informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the corps members in Hadejia would not participate in the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections.
Besides the fleeing corps members, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is complaining of office accommodation in order to conduct the Saturday polls in some places. Many of the commission’s offices in some parts of the North were razed down during the mayhem. Though the governorship election has been postponed in some states where the violence was intense, the electoral body still has issues of office accommodation to contain with. Also, security of election materials is another headache for the commission.
In Bauchi State, for example, four INEC offices have been burnt down in Bauchi, Dambam, Misau and Jama’are local governments while 500 laptops used for the voter registration exercise were looted by the irate youths.
Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda, said 600 of the corps members have been evacuated from some parts of the state and accommodated at the Staff Development Center and the army barracks as government is committed to their safety.
Director-General of the NYSC, General Maharazu I. Tsiga, who was visibly worried over the incident, said arrangements are being made to evacuate all the corps members from Bauchi to their various home states, saying: "Our concern is to ensure your safety by organising a convoy of vehicles that will take you to the nearest safe place so that you will be reunited with your families."
Amidst shouts of ‘We want to go home’ from the corps members, the NYSC DG declared that from the present situation, "The corps members may not be used for the remaining elections since they have been made targets by criminals."
Following the outbreak of violence and attack targeted on youth corps members, leadership Sunday checks reveal that most of them and non indigenous ad-hoc staff employed by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election in Northern Nigeria have fled for safety.
There are fears that names of corps members who fail to turn up may be replaced with loyal party members if INEC is not proactive enough to keep such scenario under check.
Recall that INEC’s Returning Officer for Ika federal constituency in Delta State, Dr Godwin Avwioro, publicly announced that some chieftains of a political party changed all the youth corps members sent to the area, prepared uniforms for fake corps members believed to be brothers and sisters of party candidates and made him to sign the result under duress.
He said: "My attention was brought to the fact that some corps members were protesting the substitution of their names on the INEC ad hoc staff list, a few days before the election. Their names were substituted with the names of brothers and sisters and those close to the people contesting".
Few days after his declaration, he was reportedly kidnapped.
Despite the assurance from INEC on the safety of corps members, parents have raised concerns about sending their wards to volatile areas to act as INEC ad-hoc staff. Already, thousands of Nigerians have been displaced by the post election violence and elections have been postponed in two states of Kaduna and Bauchi.
Some of the youth corps members that spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity confirmed they are afraid for their lives and have no plans of returning to the polling centres, until INEC can guarantee their safety
Reports say angry youths protesting the results of the presidential election stormed the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) Secretariat in the heart of Minna, the Niger State capital and forcibly locked the Corps members in and set the building on fire. But lucky enough for them, the leader of the Corps members, fondly called Papa by his colleagues, found the strength to break down the door and set his colleagues free.
The irate youths however succeeded in setting the NCCF 18-seater bus and a motorcycle belonging to the fellowship ablaze. The ugly development has forced the NYSC to direct all Corps members in Chanchaga (Minna) Local Government Area to relocate from their homes to the Nigeria Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) barracks on the outskirts of the city.
Leadership Sunday learnt that parents, whose children are serving in the National Youth Service Corps, have protested to the NYSC directorate over the brazen attack on corps members, and vowed not to allow their children to participate in the subsequent elections.
A parent Mrs. Nwosu Esther told our correspondent "there is killing everywhere. People are being killed on daily basis. As much as we want our children to contribute their quota to the country, we will not allow our children to become targets for politicians and their thugs, in their bid to settle scores".
Sources within the National Youth Service Corps headquarters in Abuja also told leadership Sunday that its director general is unwilling to release youth corps members for the remaining elections, particularly in the North; as such and action will amount to putting them in harm’s way.
Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga, last Tuesday visited INEC chairman where he lamented attacks targeted at Corps members by hoodlums saying such actions might dissuade them from continuing with the exercise.
Though Jega assured the DG of the safety of corps members but feelers say the corps members are not comfortable with returning to the field.
Checks revealed that political parties had proposed to INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, to conduct the gubernatorial elections scheduled for April 26th in the South only, since the North was engulfed in violence. But Jega was said to have told them that he will do no such thing.

INEC moves election in two states:
However, as the violence gets messier, Jega was forced to announce that INEC has postponed elections in Bauchi and Kaduna states. INEC said that the election in the two states would now hold on April 28 and that this was tentative.
"In the past few days, the Commission in conjunction with security agencies, NYSC and political parties has carefully been assessing the feasibility of holding the upcoming April 26th elections in the states most affected by the violence".
"The assessment shows that there is marked improvement in security in some of the States for the elections to hold. However, in others, specifically Kaduna and Bauchi states, the security situation remains a source of concern".
"Consequently, the Commission is constrained to postpone the April 26th elections in the two States in accordance with Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) from April 26th to April 28th 2011. This is to allow for further cooling of tempers and for the security situation in those States to improve".
"I call on them, their parents and guardians not to allow the perpetrators of violence to scare them away from the noble job they are doing for this country".

Jonathan Speaks on plight of corpers:
"I have authorised our security services to use all lawful means, including justifiable force to bring an immediate end to all acts of violence against our fellow citizens".
"In view of the condemnable attacks on our gallant Youth corps members, I have directed all state Governors to take personal responsibility for their security and safety in the States where they serve," Jega had said.

Jega assures on security
Speaking on Tuesday when the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga, visited INEC, Prof. Jega decried wanton attacks that have been unleashed on Youth Corps members who constitute the bulk of ad hoc staff engaged by the Commission for the ongoing general election.
Prof. Jega reassured parents of the safety of their wards, saying no effort will be spared to protect them against further attacks. He again extolled the commitment of the Corps members, as had been commended by domestic and international observers of the elections.
He pledged that INEC would engage appropriate authorities at the highest level towards ensuring the protection of Corps members involved in election duties.
Brig.-Gen. Tsiga had lamented attacks targeted at Corps members by hoodlums had become a disincentive for the Corps members engaged in election duties and might dissuade them from continuing with the exercise.
Prof. Jega empathized with the corps members, but regretted that their succumbing to intimidation at this point would fulfill the objective of the perpetrators of violence.

Buhari speaks on burning of voters cards
Since the violence broke out, residents in most of the affected states are taking refuge in army and police barracks. Residents of the affected areas who are taking refuge in some barracks and camps have automatically been disenfranchised.
Some voters could also face disenfranchisement that was not as accidental as that of people in refugee camps. In their case, they are saddened with the result of the presidential elections and have decided to destroy their voter cards. It is widely allegedly that most of the CPC supporters have burnt their voter cards in protest of the outcome of the last Saturday’s presidential election.
The act of burning their voter cards would stop them from voting in the governorship election. Appealing for calm on the basis of ongoing moves to recover what he claimed was a stolen mandate, Buhari said in a statement issued on his behalf by his spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin that:
"Information has reached me that, out of frustration, some of you have been destroying your voter’s cards. This is a very grievous mistake, which is not going to solve any of your problems. I urge you to preserve and safeguard your cards, and come out en-masse on Tuesday to vote out and disgrace your oppressors who have stolen your votes. If you don’t do this, it is to be feared that all your efforts will have been in vain."

Jega insists gubernatorial polls to go on
Despite the outbreak of violence that trailed the presidential election in some parts of the northern states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it is going ahead with plans to conduct governorship elections next Tuesday. Speaking on the issue recently, Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, said the commission is going ahead with plans for the governorship elections as scheduled.
Also, in a statement, INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega said the commission is working with the security agencies to ensure that the remainder of the elections are not derailed by violence.
Jega condemned the violence especially attacks targeted at youth corps members saying, "We have received reports that these young men and women have become targets of attacks by unscrupulous persons, whose obvious objective is to derail the elections by intimidating the corps members and scaring them away from their patriotic service to the nation.
"It is particularly distressing that this is happening because in ideal circumstances, these young men and women should be celebrated as heroes of our collective national aspiration for credible and enduring democracy. They have worked in these elections with uncommon courage and diligence. Indeed, their role has been widely commended by both domestic and international observers.
"I am deeply saddened that some of them have suffered losses on account of their selfless investment in the future of our country."
He vowed to ensure the safety of all INEC staff especially members of the NYSC during subsequent elections saying, "our Commission is determined to provide maximum security for all election field workers, especially our ad hoc staff. Already, we have engaged appropriate authorities at the highest level to ensure the protection of corps members and all other ad hoc staff involved in election duties."

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