…. Predicts low voter turnout due to insecurity

By Anayo Okoli

COALITION of Democracy and Human Rights organizations in the South East region has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, security agencies and politicians to ensure that the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State is credible, free and fair.

The group charged INEC to use the off-season elections in Imo and two other states to try to redeem its battered image arising from the conduct of the February 25 2023 Presidential election.

Reading a joint statement at a Press Conference in Enugu, they alerted the Commission that the eyes of Nigerians are focused on it to see what it would do this time.

Entitled “November 11, 2023, Imo Governorship Poll: Is INEC truly organizing free, fair, secured and Credible Election or planning to harvest nd write results for a favoured candidate”, the group said it has already written to the Commission and heads of major security agencies, including the National Security Adviser, and charged them to strictly caution their operatives to be neutral in the Imo election.

While calling for free and fair polls, the coalition alleged that “available pieces of evidence and realities on the ground have continued to strongly indicate that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is at it again in Imo State which will be having a crucial governorship election in less than two weeks, on November 11, 2023.

“From every indication, it is difficult for us to be convinced that the Commission is genuinely organizing a free, fair, secured and credible governorship election for the long-suffering and peace-loving people of Imo State.

“Instead, we are easily convincing and it may likely be correct to say that INEC is planning to harvest and write results for the ruling party in the State”.

Preempting the possibility of any of the political parties coming up with rigged bogus figures, the group said that on account of the devastating insecurity in the state which has forced many people to flee their communities, it is obvious that the Imo election would witness very low turnout.

“True winner of November 11 Imo governorship poll will garner 90,000 to 130,000 votes as maximum”, the group predicted based on the security situation in Imo.

“But it is not out of place for us to express deep fears that another round of result harvesting and writing is cooking in Imo. Nigerians and other international democracy watchers will not be surprised to see the allocation of 500,000 to 1 million votes as total valid and lawful votes scored by the favoured winner in a landslide.

“However, and truly speaking; going by several investigations done by Intersociety and the realities on the ground in Imo State, the true winner of the State’s November 11, 2023 governorship poll, in an atmosphere of one-man-one-vote contest, will not score more than 90,000 to130,000 votes. This will be out of possibly a total lawful votes cast of not more than 300,000.

“This projection was arrived at after putting into consideration the fears; chaos and bloodletting that have gripped the state since January 2021 security crisis in the state.

“This projection was arrived at after putting into consideration the fears; chaos and bloodletting that have gripped the state “More than half of the state’s 27 Local Government Areas are deeply affected and 65% or 1.8 million of the state’s 2.4m PVC holders registered voting population have been forced out of their voting areas; leaving the state with only 600,000 eligible voters, out of which 300,000 may maximally vote”. te since the January 2021 security crisis in the state.

“Any result with huge figures declared by INEC is expressly expected to have emanated from harvested and written results. The November 6, 2021, Anambra governorship election where Prof. Charles Soludo of APGA emerged as the winner with 112, 229 votes out of a total lawful votes cast of 249, 631, representing 10.12 percent of the State’s registered PVC holders of 2, 466, 638; is a case in point.

“The acutely poor voters’ turnout during the Anambra state’s November 6, 2021 governorship Poll was as a result of politically motivated insecurity and other unsafe conditions which are three times lower than that of the present situation in Imo State”, the group observed.

According to the coalition, “our priceless interest in Imo state is purely borne out of the desire to have decency and sanctity of the ballot box restored and Imo voters and their properties secured and protected again in the State after January 14, 2020, Nigeria. To this end, Imo voters must be protected and allowed to freely vote for the governorship candidates of their choice on November 11, 2023”.

The group warned against the use of the Imo State Government-sponsored Ebubeagu security outfit for the election and called for the redeployment of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner and the principal officers, the state police commissioner, the commander of 34 Brigade, Owerri, the director of DSS and other security commanders in the state, until after the election to ensure neutrality.

The statement which was signed by Prof. Jerry Chidozie Chukwuokolo, Deputy Leader, Engineer Ikenwoke Nwandu, Head, Data Collection and Documentation, Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, Leader, South-East CLO and read and read by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman of Intersociety, also rejected the posting of DIG Frank Mbah to conduct Imo election, claiming that he is a long time friend of Governor Hope Uzodinma and therefore can not guarantee his neutrality.