By Emmanuel Aziken, Kingsley Omonobi, Ola Ajayi, Henry Umoru & Olasunkanmi AKONI

LAGOS—A NUMBER of governors seeking re-election and their major challengers , yesterday,  traded allegations and counter allegations of diversion of electoral materials, intimidation and other rigging schemes allegedly aimed at improving their chances in today’s polls.

The intrigues came on the wings of allegations by the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, that 12 northern Governors were using the curfew which came into effect last night as a cover to foist a state of emergency in their states.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, on its part also raised alarm over the absence of serialised ballot papers for the dicey gubernatorial contest in Akwa Ibom State.

Many of the allegations of rigging were being raised against incumbent governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
However, a serving minister and special adviser to the President from Borno State were, yesterday, accused by the Borno State chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Alhaji Mala Othman, of hoarding hundreds of thousands of ballot papers and results sheets for today’s governorship and state houses of assembly elections, in order to perpetrate massive riggings.

Use of curfew

National Chairman of the CPC, Prince Tony Momoh, in a letter to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, accused the governors of Niger, Gombe, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Sokoto, and Jigawa States of using the curfew to foist their rigging plans.

In his letter dated April 25, 2011 obtained by Vanguard, Momoh said that several supporters and agents of the party had been shepherded into detention arising from last week’s riots which he said the party has condemned.

He noted: “Today, less than 24 hours from the time slated for the last leg of the election your commission is conducting, we are worried that your commission has not created the environment for such elections to be held. There is no level playing field for those who want to take part and are entitled to do so without fear of being arrested or molested.

Period of emergency

We have doubts that in what amounts to a period of emergency, there can be free and fair elections. But because of the constitutional constraint on your commission to conduct elections that should not only be free and fair but that should be seen to be so, we suggest that:

(a) The curfews be lifted and free movement of people be allowed;
(b) The hours of the curfews be limited in such a way as not to inconvenience stakeholders whose agents must know what is happening at every stage of the electoral  process  from accreditation, through voting to collation and final announcement of results.

(c) Where the curfew must stay, the counting of votes should stop at ward level, and the following day, the stake holders  move to the local government collating centres.

As you can notice, we are straining to see how your commission can defend strong restrictions on movement during the election and the claim that the elections can be free and fair.

The ACN on its part in a statement alleged the absence of form EC8 and the lack of serial numbers in the ballot papers brought to the state for the elections in Akwa Ibom State.

In a statement issued in Ilorin on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also alleged the mass arrests of chiefs and clan heads, in an attempt to intimidate and arm-twist them so they will vote for the PDP.

Mohammed stated: “When the ballot papers for the governorship were inspected today (Monday), it was found that they do not carry serial numbers, while form EC8 are also missing from the materials brought to the state for the governorship poll. This is a recipe for rigging.” ACN warned that the mass arrests of the chiefs and clan heads risk provoking violence, and stressed the need to nip such in the bud by calling the authorities to order.

Alarm over rigging plans

Meanwhile, in Delta State, a former Commissioner in the state, contesting the House of Assembly election under the umbrella of Fresh Democratic Party, Mr. Raymos Guanah has raised alarm over alleged move to rig today’s election in Patani. In a petition sent to the State Commissioner of Police, Guanah accused two top officials of one of the leading political parties in the area as brains behind the plot.

The ANPP in Zamfara also accused the Nigeria Police of collaborating with the PDP authorities in the state in what he described as “an evil plot” to rig the elections in favour of the ruling party.

The party’s gubernatorial candidate Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar in a session with journalists in Gusau yesterday thus called for the immediate redeployment of the State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar. He cited among others plans to harass and terrorise the electorate as part of the rigging plans, adding: “We are, therefore, appealing to the Inspector General of Police to immediately re-deploy the Zamfara state commissioner of Police. He should also direct in-coming commissioner to be posted to our state to discharge his responsibilities without fear or favour.”

The PDP in Oyo State on its part accused the ACN of attempting to massively manipulate the governorship election in Oyo State. But the PDP was equally alleged to be distributing ballot papers to its agents ahead of the election, an allegation the party swiftly denied and described the opposition in the state of being afraid of its shadow.

The PDP State Secretary, Alhaji Bashiru Akanbi refuted the claims that the opposition was peddling that rumour because of its failure to get a universal endorsement of its candidate, Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the Ibadan candidate.

Akanbi wondered why such lie could thrive when security agents including soldiers were around to  watch  over the voting materials adding that he was not surprised because the rumour had been rife even when INEC was yet to distribute the materials.

He said: “It is a lie. All the Electoral officers, secretaries of ACN, Accord Party, ANPP and PDP are now at INEC witnessing how the materials are being distributed to the electoral officers. Besides, two police men and soldiers would escort the materials to places they are meant to be taken to. And the papers had already been serialised by INEC.

“We are right now in the Government House having a stakeholders meeting. You can come here now and see it. They are liars. They are only afraid of their failure. They have shot themselves in the foot by saying Ibadan people should vote for Ibadan people. Is Ibadan people only in Oyo State. That’s what they said yesterday. It is not true.”

The accusation and counter-accusation have been the order of the day between ACN and PDP since the election started.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command  has deployed at least 30,000 security personnel in the 8,400 polling stations across the state. According to CP Suleiman Abba, security has been beefed up across the state, especially at identified hot spots.

Abba said a security meeting had earlier been held to strategize and perfect plans on how best to ensure security of life and properties as well as ensure violence free atmosphere throughout the conduct of the election.