The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has scheduled the off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States for Saturday, November 11, 2023.
The tenure of the incumbent Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, ends on January 14, 2024, while that of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi and his counterpart in Bayelsa, Duoye Diri, will end on January 26, 2024 and February13, 2024, respectively. Of the three governors , only Yahaya is on his second term in office.
In announcing the dates for the elections, INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Voters Education and Publicity, Barrister Festus Okoye, said it was in line with Sections 178(1) and (2) of the 1999 Nigeria’s Constitution, which mandates the Commission to “conduct such elections not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of the last holder of the office”.
Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa broke off from the general election cycle due to court judgments issued at different times with regard to governorship elections in the states.
Bayelsa’s timetable got disrupted in 2007, when Timipre Sylva of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was elected as governor and his opponent, Ebitimi Amgbare of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) challenged him in court, but lost at the tribunal. The 2007 election was cancelled and a new election was held in 2008, with Sylva emerging as winner.
A similar scenario played out in Kogi in 2007 when the court cancelled the re-election of Ibrahim Idris due to INEC’s wrong exclusion of Abubakar Audu of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) from the ballot.
Audu had then dragged the commission and 57 of its electoral offices in 27 local government areas of the state to court for infringing on his rights.
Imo State was part of the general election cycle until after the 2019 General Election in which Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was elected as governor.
The result was challenged by Hope Uzodinma of the APC. The court used legal technicalities to disqualify the two other candidates in between and Uzodinma, who was in the fourth position, was declared governor of the state by the Supreme Court in January 2022.
INEC in announcing its preparation for the elections scheduled party primaries to take place between March 27 and April 17, 2023, while the online portal for submission of nomination forms (EC9 and EC9B) by political parties opens at 9:00 a.m. on April 24, 2023, and closes at 6:00 p.m. on May 5, 2023.
“The final list of candidates will be published on June 9, 2023, while campaign by political parties commences on June 14, 2023, and ends at midnight on November 9, 2023”, INEC said.
INEC, which completed the 2023 General Election last Saturday after successfully carrying out supplementary elections, is set to start rolling out its programmes for the three governorship elections scheduled for November.
Speaking with THEWILL, Okoye said the commission was ready to discharge its constitutional duty.
“Our success in the last general election showed that we are on course. We are always ready to do our best and we urge all the stakeholders- political parties and the security agencies to assist us in having free, fair and credible elections in the three affected states”.
The PDP has confirmed Duoye Diri and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as its governorships candidates in Bayelsa and Imo States, respectively.
Diri’s candidature emerged from the PDP primary election held last Tuesday in Yenagoa, capital of Beyelsa, while Anyanwu, on the other hand, emerged from the party’s primary in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
According to the Organising Secretary of the PDP in Imo, Lawrence Biado, a seven-man electoral panel constituted by the National Working Committee and headed by Kenneth Okon monitored the primary election in Imo.
A former governor of the state, Emeka Ihedioha, was conspicuously absent after he pulled out of the PDP governorship race, some weeks ago.
Anyanwu is expected to challenge the re-election of Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In Yenagoa, however, Diri, who was the only governorship candidate, polled 305 votes to clinch the ticket. The election was conducted by the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who declared Diri as the consensus candidate.
The PDP governorship primary in Kogi has been scheduled for Saturday, April 15. Over nine aspirants, including Senator Dino Melaye, are contesting to become the standard bearer of the party in the forthcoming election.
Also, the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party last Tuesday announced that it had commenced screening of aspirants for the governorship elections in the three states. Aspirants who attended the screening exercise were Udengs Eradivi, Chief Ikechuwku Ukaegbu, Ihechi Ike, Senator Nneji Achonu, Chief Diekivie Ihiogla; Abu Enemona, Donald Daunemigha and Air Vice Marshall Isaac Aifia, among others.
Addressing journalists briefly before the event, the party’s acting chairman, Apapa, said the total number of candidates from the three states for the screening was 24.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its governorship primaries in all the three states last Friday. However, in Kogi, Deputy Governor Edward Onoja and the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Mr Mohammed Abdulkareem Asuku withdrew from the contest. This came after a stakeholders’ meeting hosted by Governor Yahaya Bello at the APC secretariat in Lokoja, the state capital, during which he unveiled his preferred candidate in the person of the Kogi State Local Government Auditor- General, Ahmed Ododo.
Onoja and Asuku announced their withdrawal from the governorship race via their verified facebook accounts shortly after the meeting in Lokoja.
Edward Onoja’s post reads: “To God be the glory for life and divine health. My appreciation to my leader, His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello and all my supporters, for your love and prayers. Let love, patience and perseverance lead. I am forever grateful.”
While Mohammed Asuku posted, “I sincerely appreciate His Excellency, my benefactor, for all that Allah have been using him to do in my life. As such, I hereby submit myself publicly to the decision taken today and I will forever live to remain loyal and dedicated to the decision of my party as I enjoin all my well-wishers to work with us for our great party APC to become victorious in the November 11 governorship election.”
Meanwhile a group, the Imo Youths for a New Nigeria, has urged INEC to correct its mistakes in the 2023 general election by conducting credible governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States on November 11, 2023.
At a press conference held in Owerri, Imo State, while analysing the outcome of the 2023 Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, the group said that INEC failed to live up to the expectations of millions of Nigerians.
Chidiebube Okeoma, who is the leader of the group, urged the electoral umpire to utilise the window provided by the forthcoming governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa to “right their wrongs.”
Okeoma said that with the way and manner the elections were conducted, many Nigerians had lost interest in the country’s democracy.
The activist said that INEC gave Nigerians false hope with the promise that it was going to conduct credible elections, but it ended up conducting the “most flawed election since 1999.”
Okeoma said, “The 2023 General Election didn’t meet up the expectations of millions of Nigerians. From voting buying to partisanship on the said INEC staff and security agents, to hijacking of electoral materials, to mutilation of election results, to going against the 2022 electoral act as amended, to voter intimidation and suppression, to electoral violence, the whole process was below standard.
“Politicians openly rigged the elections in their favour and they saw INEC officers and security agents who were willing tools to aid them in compromising the processes. They openly bragged and mocked the judiciary by asking those who opposed their rigging tactics to go to court.”
He said that with the flawed process, INEC now had the opportunity of working to ensure that the three governorship elections holding in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States in November were conducted in strict adherence to electoral act 2022 as amended.
He warned that if the November 11 governorship elections turns out to be anything but free and fair millions of Nigerians would not be participating in future elections.
Okeoma added, “INEC has a golden opportunity before it. It has the rare opportunity of using the three off-season governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States to regain the lost confidence and the trust of millions of Nigerians.
“Already millions have decided that they won’t vote again, going forward, but if INEC conducts credible elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States in November, millions may rescind their decision of not wanting to vote again. INEC has no reason to fail Nigerians in November because unlike the February 25 and March 18 elections, the November 11 elections are just taking place in three states. They have ample time to prepare enough workforce to prosecute the elections in line with international best practices.”
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
