… Tension in Bayelsa as Court Bars APC Candidate

… IGP Withdraws Govs, Deps Security Details

… Be Non-Partisan, Buhari tells Security, INEC

From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja, Mike Tayese, Yenagoa and Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

Nigeria’s political landscape will  tomorrow witness another governorship election where  the  two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will once again  test their popularity  in two states- Kogi and Bayelsa.

As political activities heightened, security, commercial and social activities took a new dimension in the two states where elections  will hold.

In Kogi,  the incumbent governor,  Yahya Bello,  will slug it out, wirh  23 others in the race to unseat him.  

The incumbent Governor, Yahaya Bello, if re-elected tomorrow, would commence his second tenure from January 27, 2020, just as, if a new governor emerges, would take-over the mantle of state apparatus for the next four years.

Candidates of the various political parties for the race are equally ready to slug it out, having concluded their rigorous campaigns to woo electorate to vote for them twenty-four hours to election.

The electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had also disclosed, during series of stakeholders meetings, that the commission was fully prepared for the smooth conduct of the election as all arrangements and required logistics had been put in place to carry out its constitutional duties.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, while speaking at one of the fora in Lokoja, assured indigenes of the state of safety environment that would enable them come out to vote for the candidates of their choice, without “molestation or intimidation”.

“Enough security personnel  have been mobilized on ground to ensure hitch free election. The electorate should not entertain any fear in turning up in their large numbers to exercise their franchise as police will not leave any stone unturned to protect their lives”, he added.

Similarly, candidates of all political parties for the election and other relevant gladiators in the game were made to sign peace accord and undertaking with INEC, Police and other non-governmental organizations to maintain law and order before, during and after the election.

However, the INEC and Police have consistently warned politicians and their supporters against the violation of electoral laws as defaulters would be sanctioned.

INEC and Police enumerated possible  electoral offences that could lead to the disruption of the election to include;  cases of thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes, intimidation of voters, presence of fake police  bribery of voters/inducement and arbitrary shooting of guns to create fears and  scare  voters away amongst others.

Going by political activities in Kogi state since 2003, investigation by Our Correspondent reveals  that of all the political parties jostling to rule the state in the current dispensation, the game will actually be between the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the  Candidate of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Engineer Musa Wada.

Apart from ethic chauvinism which is very pronounced in the state, Political observers are of the view that other factors will come to play in the final build up to the governorship election in Kogi State, such as political antecedent, performances and opinion formed as result of people’s experience.

DAILY ASSET gathered that the forthcoming governorship battle is dominantly between two major ethnic groups, the Ebiras and Igalas with Okuns and other minorities playing determinant role of who wins the battle.


Governor Yahaya Bello

Yahaya Bello  was brought to power by divine intervention after the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, who was coasting home to victory in 2015 governorship election, but his death put an end to the era.

Bello, young and energetic, who had been in charge of governance in the past four years, is believed to be a political tactician based on his antecedents since 2016.

Strength

It is expected that Bello would rely the power of incumbency to retain the seat in the battle analysts described as between the centripetal and centrifugal forces.

He is said to have the financial muscle to prosecute the political ambition as the Ebiras are seemingly ready to support their own by going out en-masse to vote for Bello.

Again, analysts say Bello would also be relying on the two senators, seven House of Representatives members, twenty-five members of the state House of Assembly, Commissioners and all political appointees from various districts to work for his victory and that of the APC.

Weaknesses

Political pundits are of the opinion that what could have been an added advantage to the APC administration may work against the party during the governorship election.

A social critics and analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity,  argued that if Bello administration had succeeded in weeding out the ghost workers and consistently paying salary to civil servants as at when due, there wouldn’t be any cause for alarm.

The untold hardship experiencing by people of the state, foisted on them and their immediately family, is undoubtedly, waiting for election period like this to rear its head.

“Until recently the workers and pensioners had passed through harrowing experience in the state. The fear now, is that if Bello comes back, life would be more difficult for them.

“Expectedly, an average Kogites believed that the state under Bello should have moved from what it used to be to where the state ought be and state is still  infrastructural  deficient despite the huge  resources accrued to this state.

“‘Quote me what happened in the States  where governors have not  made salary payment first line charge will repeat itself in Kogi State  during the forthcoming governorship election. Many children dropped out of school as result of non payment of salaries. Workers could no longer pay their bills, house rent, medical bill and the rest”, he added.


Musa Wada

Mr. Musa Wada, is an engineer, is a new entrant into the murky water of Kogi politics. His emergence as PDP flag bearer still remain a big surprise to many political big wigs in the party, including his brother, Captain Wada who is also a contestant and his father-in -law and former governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, whose first son lost narrowly to Musa Wada. He will rely on the experience of the duo to navigate the path to Lugard House during the election.


Strength

Presumably, after a thorough reconciliation may  have been done and all other aspirants may have  given their node for his candidature, Wada junior will enjoy the entire people of Igala land of the Eastern flank of the state who will be willing  to work for his victory at the poll, having emerged from the PDP.

Observers of political events argued that Wada is good material and have financial ‘war chest’ to prosecute his gubernatorial ambition .

In a telephone conversation  with Our Correspondent, Mr. Mohammed Ameh Ocheni, stated that the opportunity has come  to the people of Igala to fight  and reclaimtheir lost glory, adding that having lost seat of power last four years, the people have been  relegated to back ground.

He added that with  population of about 54 per cent and having highest number of registered voters in the state  and good sensitization, Wada may spring another surprise in the election.

“The political permutation  is now that Musa  Wada has picked his running mate from Okun axis, the Yoruba speaking area of Western Senatorial district will  garner a substantial votes from the west, Ocheni said.

Weakness

However, some people are  of the views  that Musa Wada has not acquired the enough political experience . They claimed that Kogi state is in a mess that requires experience hands.

The question agitating the mind of Kogites now is who wins the gubernatorial election, Yahaya Bello or Musa Wada? The electorate will definitely decide on tomorrow.

Fear of Violence Grips Bayelsa Electorate

At least 45 candidates drawn from different political parties, are set to slug it out tomorrow for the governorship election of Bayelsaa state where the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) are accusing each other of stock piling arms for the D-day.

This is even as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expressed worries and described Bayelsa as one of the most volatile and prone to electoral violence states.

The scenario further gave credence as the main opposition party in the state (APC) suffered a deadly blow from the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, which bared its governorship candidate, David Lyon from contesting tomorrow’s election.

The judgement, delivered by Justice Jane Inyang, declared that “APC has no candidate for the election” and voided the direct primaries that produced Lyon.

A former Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Heineken Lokpobiri, who was one of the aspirants during the primaries, had dragged the party to court over alleged irregularities during the direct primaries conducted by the party on the 4th of September 2019.

But, in their swift reaction, the recent court judgments that first disqualified its governorship running mate, Degi Eremienyo and later nullified the governorship primary election conducted on September 4 this year will not deter the party from contesting the Saturday election.

Addressing the media, the alternate Director General of David Lyon/Degi campaign organization, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, call on the people to maintain peace, saying it had appealed the judgment while filing for stay of execution of the judgments.

“That is the assurance we are giving to Bayelsans. Come and vote,” he said while likening what the party is experiencing to the travails of the children of Israel when leaving Egypt for Canaan.

Birisibe, therefore, enjoined the media to help inform the state and people that APC was ready for the governorship election as the processes at the various courts were ongoing expressing hope that the judgments would be vacated at the higher court.

In another development, it was a bloody clash between the supporters of the PDP and the APC on Wednesday during the last PDP rallies at Nembe Ogbolomabiri where several people were injured and about six dead including the driver of the state own radio station, Mr. Clement Onu.

However, PDP governorship candidate, Senator Douye Diri, noted with  dismay the brutal killings of no fewer than eight members of the party by thugs of the APC during the rally in Nembe Ogbolomabiri .

Diri, in an interview with newsmen in Yenagoa, described the killings as barbaric, demonic, undemocratic and prayed for repose of the souls of those that were murdered by the bullets of the blood thirsty APC supporters.

The remains of three of the dead are still at the mortuary, two were said to have had their stomachs ripped open and thrown into the river, while the body of identified as Onu was with the JTF.

He said there were unprovoked and gruesome attacks on party members, which resulted in the death of some members and recalled that similar event occurred in the area during the last National Assembly election.

“When we arrived at Nembe,  we saw our billboards on the floor and that was the signal that all was not well. Nembe was our second port of call, our first port  was Oluasiri, we got to the water front and kept most of our party members behind since Oluasiri was a riverine journey. And so we kept them behind with the hope that once we are through with Oluasiri, we will return to Nembe for our final rally. 

“We arrived Oluasiri only to receive a distress call that our party members were under attack. Some had been gunned down, lives were lost, our vehicles vandalized and so we couldn’t hold our rally at Oluasiri, we had to return immediately to Nembe.