Evelyn-A. B. Ibanga
Prior to the 2019 general elections, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has called on President Mohammadu Buhari, to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018, earlier passed by the National Assembly to regulate elections in the country.
Governor Emmanuel made the call during the Strategic Stakeholders Engagement organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with the theme, ‘Broad Outline of the 2019 Elections in Akwa Ibom State: The Road Map, held at Ibom Hall, IBB Avenue, Uyo.
The Governor said that assenting to the Bill, would assist in addressing questions and fears of the electorate before and after elections, especially on matters concerning penalties on electoral offences, adding that the implementation of the provisions would serve as deterrent to election offenders as well as platform for fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
“I just want to use this platform provided by INEC, which is a Federal Government agency, although independent, to call that the federal government should, please, assent to that Bill and most of the fears of everybody in this hall, would have been allayed and with that, we can look forward to a very successful elections”, Emmanuel stated.
He appreciated the INEC for organizing the event, which he said, was first of its kind in the country, charging security agencies to organise similar engagement for security personnel to enable understanding of electoral processes which would enhance their performance to complement efforts of INEC, against distorting it during the elections.
While commending the electoral umpire for its readiness to discharge its functions devoid of biases in the forthcoming elections, the Governor said, “the best way to fight anti corruption war is when you fight against corruption in electoral processes, you would have fought every corruption”.
He appealed to INEC to ensure that the upcoming election in Osun State is seen and adjudged to be free and fair by the election observers, maintaining that with such outcome, Nigerians would have hope towards credible elections in 2019.
According to the Governor, these days it is difficult for people to be trusted or earn trust and integrity. These are days when people would rob integrity, selfless services, humility in service and everything in the process because of selfish interest but I just hope that Nigeria would march where people can relax and believe”.
Emmanuel stressed the need for registration and collection of permanent voter’s card, PVC, by the electorate, enlisting the support of political office holders to intensify efforts at sensitizing the people, especially, at the grassroot, to be armed wirh their PVCs in readiness to perform their civic responsibilities.
He sued for the implementation of electronic voting in the nearest future, which, according to him, would lend more credibility to electoral process in the country, urging the INEC to collaborate with communication companies to improve on their communication system for proper transmission of data during elections.
Earlier, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr. Mike Igini, said that the event was organized to engage stakeholders of all political groups in robust discussions towards achieving a transparent and credible elections in 2019, emphasizing that the electoral umpire was well prepared to deliver its task in Akwa Ibom State without any form of influence.
The REC said, “In this state, we shall conduct free, fair and credible elections. The rules of the process would be observed first by the umpire that must demonstrate that it must be trusted to conduct elections and the trust must be earned by our actions and inactions, the things we do or fail to do”.
Mr. Igini cautioned those aspiring for elective positions with intent to rig the elections to desist from nursing such ploy as there would not be room for the execution of evil plots under his watch during the exercise, explaining that INEC, in its avowed commitment to conduct credible elections, has set up a tracking system to monitor every processes of the exercise.
According to the REC, “some of the things we hear that people are planning to do is out of ignorance of INEC of today. Everything would be tracked so it would not be possible for people to do what they used to do in the past, we have developed a template to track all activities before, during and after the elections in every state of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
He further stated, “In Akwa Ibom State, under my watch, it is the will of the people that will count, it is the votes from the units that will count, it is the political parties that will submit names of candidates to the commission. We must conduct an election that would be accepted by the people without recourse to the tribunals, we have done it elsewhere and we will do it here”.
Igini advised all political parties in the state to commence the process of selecting committed and trusted party representatives as agents for the elections, pointing out that 2019 general elections would have no room for thuggery and implored Party faithful to ensure strict adherence to the code of conduct of the electoral act.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, assured that security agencies would maintain neutrality at the polls to eliminate every form of intimidation on the electorate, maintaining that modalities are in place to train security personnel on the requirements to ensure safety and hitch-free elections.
Mr. Ogunjemilusi, who is the Chairman of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Elections Security, ICCES, cautioned the people against undermining the directives of security operatives, indicating that any form of disregard to the instructions of security agencies, would not be tolerated and sued for support from the electorate to achieve an orderly exercise.
He pledged to ensure the safety of the election personnel and added, “No youth corps member would be killed in Akwa Ibom State. We are going to view any embarrassment on corps members more seriously than any other offence in the state. If you foment trouble, you go in for it. We are going to prosecute all electoral offenders and we must have peace and security”.
In a goodwill messge, former Governor of the State, Obong Victor Attah, said that the forum was very crucial to the success of future elections in the state, charging INEC to display integrity in the conduct of proper elections for democracy to thrive in the country.
Obong Attah, in the message, which was read by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Mr. Raphael Edem, said, “As an elder statesman who has committed everything to the development of the state, I recommend that you make it abundantly clear to the people that whatever evil that may have attended our electoral practices in the past, is history”.
He added, “from now on, whoever occupies elected office, would only do so at the will of the majority of the people. The sanctity of the ballot box must be maintained”.
The forum featured questions and contributions from stakeholders including former Deputy Governor of the State, Engr. Chris Ekpenyong, former House of Representatives member, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, the State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Reverend Ndueso Essien, the State Chairman, Accord Party, Prince Itiaba and a journalist, Mr. Idongesit Ikono among others.