In this report, LEADERSHIP’s DAVID-CHYDDY ELEKE who was in Edo for the state governorship election writes on how the media and security operatives deployed to the state on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan helped to create an atmosphere of peace that ensured the decision of Edo people counted.
A lot has been written about the victory of the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their myriad of godfathers, but very little has been written on how the contribution of the duo of security agents and the media helped to sustain the collective wish of the people.
Ordinarily, the PDP in their ‘do or die’ election mentality as most people are quick to say would have thrown caution to the air to wrestle ACN to the ground and retrieve from it the mandate given it by the people, but the watchful eyes of all kept them away, as it would be too glaring what they would have done, if they had tried.?
Two days to the governorship election, the choicest spot on the map of Nigeria became Edo State, the state described as the big heart. Any visitor to the state or traveler using the state as a transit point will observe that something may have happened in the state, was happening or about to happen.
This is because of the visible influx of security personnel into the state. Unlike journalists who were trickling in from all over the country and beyond, security personnel comprising of the Army, Police, SSS, Civil Defence and others were transported to the state in large numbers.
Before long, the streets of virtually every town in Edo had been overtaken by riffle totting security personnel, all ready for trouble.
Even though the sight of the security men scared Edo people, the general belief is that the politicians who had ill intentions towards the election were more afraid of the security men as the people of the state thronged to their various voting centres all holding firmly their voters’ cards without fear.?
Though the security men carried with them arms of all shapes and sizes, one more group that was feared by those who harboured ill intentions for the election were the media personnel. With only their pens, papers, tape recorders and cameras, reporters and correspondents seemed to wield more power in their hands then the heavily armed security men.
The saying that the pen is mightier that the sword certainly rang true in Edo as journalists were greatly feared by election riggers because they were also ready to take shots of any ‘evil doer’ with their cameras, and post it immediately on the internet for the consumption of the world, especially in these days of the social media.
Like this reporter, several media persons from all over the country trickled in through the airport, motor parks and any available access way into the town and before long, the Edo State press centre which normally is the first port of call for any journalist who finds himself or herself in an unfamiliar terrain reports was a beehive of activities.
From Editors to freelance journalists, the press centre was full to the brim, each journalist clutching their laptop closely, and ready to put it to work should a colleague say about a strange incident that has happened in town, if only it is connected to the Edo governorship election.
Even the Public Affairs Officer of the Edo State Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs Patience Sule, felt the heat of the influx of journalists in the state as she was saddled with the job of issuing accreditation tags to both resident and visiting journalists.
She confessed at about 4pm on the Thursday that preceded the election of last Saturday that she had actually forgotten that she had not taken her breakfast, which she brought with her to the office.?
Hotels in Benin City, the capital of Edo State became a rare commodity as after getting accreditation, journalists scampered around town to look for accommodation in hotels where they hope to be housed for the next three to four days as the election coverage will permit.
On the Election Day proper, turn out as early as 6 am was massive. All roads, major and minor, were cordoned off by stern looking security operatives who only let road users ply them after their mission has been satisfactorily offered.
Unlike the general elections, where the security personnel in a particular state are made to man their states, Edo, which was a one-state election, was different. In each polling station, no less that 10 heavily armed security men were available, all working with an open mobile telephone line to ask for more men in the event that trouble broke our.
On radio and television, the hotlines of the state police command were announced for all the senatorial zone and divisions for contact if any case of trouble broke out. So also were the major television stations in the country airing live happenings in the state.?
At the INEC headquarters at Ikpoba Slobe in Benin City, the entire compound was turned into a small media country as journalists who were assigned to the commission to get every detail milled around, nosing for anything new.
The Outstation Broadcast vans of virtually all the major television stations in the country were found, each running their power generating sets which hummed in one corner, and some of the offices of the INEC staffs turned into emergency studios, with commentators rushing in to attend interview session once in a while and rushing back to the field.?
The entire election created an atmosphere of a country that works very efficiently and for foreign observers who were in the state to witness firsthand what they have always heard in the media of the shoddy elections usually organized in Nigeria, they will be disappointed.?
Early on that Saturday, heads of security agencies took turns to visit the resident Electoral commissioner, Barr Kassim Gaidam who has grown to the status of an oracle of sort, as he was consulted by all the top security and political figures in the country, yet no one of the journalists milling around the compound has seen his face for just once.?
At a point, journalists covering the INEC headquaters had to protest to the Public Affairs Officer of the commission as it was gathered that the REC plans to stay indoors in his office throughout the day. It was however a relief when it was announced that the REC will entertain questions from journalists on the election and even have them accompany him to one or two voting centres.?
First to storm the office of the REC was the new Police Commissioner of the state, Mr. Olufemi Adenaike who was confronted with questions from journalists on the truth about not having enough men to escort voting, materials to some centres as alleged by some INEC officials.
“That is not true. We have more than enough men, with me in my convoy is more than 10 vans all tightly loaded. Infact, the reason I a here at the INEC headquatres is to ask the REC if there is anything he wants us to do for him, including giving him more men. We have men, and we have the willingness to give them on request,” Adenaike told journalists.
He was not the last as the GOC of the state army battalion, the Deputy Commandant in charge of the state Civil defense and several others including Police DIG, Marvel Akpoyibo who told Journalists that he came to see if there are any areas of lack so he can help INEC out, all visited.?
Over 50 sniffer dogs were also deployed for the election, and it became known that any police officer who was not carrying a gun had a sniffer dog attached to him to help with security.?
What was marveling was that, as it is usually the case with having too much security in a town, that most voters may withdraw for fear of trouble which may lead to the death of people, Edo people thronged the voting centres, not only to cast their votes, but they refused to return to their homes after voting, choosing to stay back and monitor the results.?
Even though results started trickling in from the various LGAs at about 12 am on Sunday, Edo people remained at INEC gate, defying security personnel’s threat to go back to their homes, claiming to be keeping vigil over the results until it is declared.
A youth who spoke with our reporter told LEADERSHIP that, “Look at all this people here, they are all waiting to see if the INEC will make the mistake of announcing a result contrary to what they voted and they will see trouble.” Even when he was reminded that the security personnel had orders to shoot if they sensed trouble, the youth, who was in his twenties and gave his name as Akpos, said a lot of people were ready to die, if only it is for the truth.?
The security personnel may have sensed trouble, and so did not push their luck too far when they did not succeed in sending back the people who came to hang around the INEC gate to hear what the result would be. Rather, they adopted a friendly measure, letting the people stand around in their mist and even talked and joked with them.
At exactly, 7:05 am, Prof Osayuki Oshodin, the Vice Chancellor of University of Benin(UNIBEN) who was nominated by the INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega as the returning Officer of the election announced Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the winner of the election, having polled 477,478 votes.
The announcement caused an ecstatic jubilation in the whole of Benin City, just as most people of the state went on a drinking spree that early morning, not leaving out the security personnel. A police sergeant who was seen downing a bottle of Star beer that morning told LEADERSHIP, “I am not a member of any of the party, but I know why I am celebrating with them.
Oshiomhole is the one the people want, and if INEC had declared a contrary result, we would have had a lot of job to do. Maybe, we would have even killed innocent people in the cause of trying to make peace. Also, seeing how determined the people are to have Oshiomhole, maybe, they too would have looked for a way to harm us, and all that is not good”.?
Though Oshiomhole had on the Saturday of the election raised an alarm about plan to rig the election. He had also accused the INEC as being in the know and also colluding with the PDP to steal his mandate, he had already stated that the alarm was a gimmick to keep election riggers away. Oshiomhole also acknowledged that President Goodluck Jonathan made the peaceful election a reality by sending down a horde of security men for the election.?
Though the election has come and gone, it will remain a reference point for election in Nigeria. A state party agent for Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), Barr Wole Iyamu told LEADERSHIP after the announcement of the election result that the election was peaceful and should be a reference point for state governorship election in all states in Nigeria.?
Commenting on the large turnout, Iyamu said, “This only shows that the people of Edo have become more enlightened. The era of leaving politicians to do their thing is over.
They have seen that governance can actually touch their lives, that is why they came out in their number to vote for the Oshiomhole. Don’t forget that the governor has already played his own part of the bargain by delivering the dividend of democracy to the people. It is victory to Edo people, no matter the party they belong to”, Iyamu said.?