2011 Elections in Anambra: Memoirs of a Coordinating Observer By Aloysius Attah

2011 Elections in Anambra: Memoirs of a Coordinating Observer
By Aloysius Attah

Thank Goodness, the 2011 elections has come and gone. Some doomsday prophets’ prophesized the final breaking up of the entity called Nigeria ; some elements who felt that to rule Nigeria is their birth right also threatened fire and brimstone if they did not clinch the presidential seat.
Though painfully, they succeeded in mauling down several promising youth corpers on national assignment, the blood of the innocent will continue to haunt them forever.
With the gracious support of the Nigeria office of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and courtesy of the national headquarters of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), the Anambra state branch of the Civil Liberties Organization(CLO) were empowered to observe the 2011 general elections in the state.

Before the elections proper, our confidence was boosted after the executive members of the Anambra CLO paid a courtesy call on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in the state and the Commissioner of Police. The REC, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, a pastor in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) assured us of the determination of the commission under him to ensure a free, fair and credible election. He promised a paradigm shift and even solicited that we join him in prayers to ensure that Almighty grants all his prayer points for the elections in Anambra, most especially that there shouldn’t be any atom of bloodshed in the state during or after the elections.

The commissioner of police, CP Mukhtari Ibrahim also accorded us a very warm reception. Without carrying any airs as the boss, he reiterated his commitment not to pander to the selfish desires of any politician in the state but to ensure that the members of the Nigerian Police force drafted to monitor the elections perform their duties to its professional standard, ethics and code of conduct.

Though our meeting with the REC and CP was quite reassuring, we were optimistic to go out in the field on the election days and perform our assigned duties as accredited observers but at the same time apprehensive knowing fully that politicians can and still remains desperate.

Our apprehension stemmed from the fact that most politicians in the state refused to play by the rules before the elections. Some of them also did the ridiculous, the unthinkable and the wicked abominable acts just to outwit each other in the game before the election.

An aspirant to the state house of Assembly sold his magnificent house located in Asaba Delta State capital to finance the election yet, he lost at the end.
Another, a former broadcaster / Journalist though married, allegedly opened wide her legs to a certain party leader who promised her a seat in the green chambers of the National Assembly yet she couldn’t win the broom party’s ticket in the primaries.
Another Aspirant , a lawyer openly wept like a baby at the Justice Chuba Ikpeazu stadium Onitsha even at the full glare of rolling cameras of various TV Stations. She alleged that about N12 million was fleeced from her by some party stalwarts who promised to secure her ticket to a federal constituency seat, yet on the day of the primary, an “anointed” candidate was given the party slot.
The prelude to the elections also witnessed the dangerous trend of using the GSM phones in devising wicked / devilish plots against political opponents. Some aspirants coined some text messages and circulated to phone users within the constituency that their opponents have withdrawn from the race and have decided to join their own campaign team. This created lots of confusion among the electorates. Others circulated pamphlets / handbills imputing blatant falsehood and lies about an opponent all in a bid to win at all costs.

After the cancelled elections of April 2nd, the rescheduled National Assembly elections of April 9th started on a general note of voters’ apathy in Anambra as many chose to stay in their houses. Boys formed emergency football teams in front of various residential houses while others took to drinking spree at the nearby restaurants.
Larger percentages of our observers reported late arrival of INEC officials and materials. A call was put through to the Resident Electoral Commissioner and he attributed this to an act of sabotage by the commercial drivers contracted to ferry INEC officials to their various polling booths. He said that the drivers suddenly jerked up their fees that very morning and threatened not to move an inch unless their demands were met.

Voting was generally peaceful and orderly in most polling centers in urban areas of Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi visited by this observer.

The noticeable anomaly witnessed on the National Assembly Election was the subtle buying of votes by some party agents. At various polling booths in Onitsha North and South federal constituency, it was a straight fight between Onitsha Indigenes as they tried to outsmart each other on who will eventually wear the cap.
PDP party agents openly bought votes at Christ the King College (CKC) and Metropolitan College Onitsha. Some APGA agents adopted “siddon de look” attitude as this was going on. Some red eyed hemp smokers working for the PDP candidates were also sighted on various polling centers in Inland town Onitsha doing the bidding of their paymasters.
As voting went on peacefully in various parts of Onitsha and Ogbaru in Anambra North Senatorial zone, the Oyi –Omambala- Ayamelum axis recorded the highest form of electoral fraud.
At the house of a prominent chief in Nteje, Oyi Local Government, four “flying” polling booths were provided and recruited voters thumb printed massively for the PDP candidate while security agents watched arms akimbo. MASSOB members and Road decongestion task force people known popularly as “Ndi mpiawa azu” (the back breakers) were hired for a fee to thumbprint freely for the PDP candidates.

Also, in various parts of Anambra South, the Returning Officer on duty and other INEC officials in Uga allegedly became extensions of PDP supporters that they openly said it is “Operation-return-the PDP as ordered from Abuja ”
On the 16th of April being the Presidential Election Day, the voters apathy recorded on the National Assembly elections evaporated into thin air as every polling booth around the state witnessed an unprecedented crowd of voters as early as 8.am.
Most eligible voters waited for INEC Officials to arrive and immediately queued on line for accreditation and voting. Some INEC officials in agreement with the law enforcement agents and eligible voters present decided to allow accreditation and voting to go on simultaneously.
On enquiry by this observer, a Returning Officer at Nwaziki polling center Awada who pleaded anonymity said the method was adopted to decongest the surging crowd of voters.

Voters openly canvassed for the election of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan at most polling station centers visited. Some of them said that their phone calls to their Kith and kin residing in the most parts of the Northern states showed that even fowls, goats and suckling children are allowed to vote over there and to make sure that Jonathan wins, they should be allowed to engage in multiple voting here.

At Awada primary school, a mild drama played out when some zealous voters branded this observer a Buhari agent when I wanted to explain to them that one can only vote where he/she registered during the voters’ registration. A voter openly shouted that even those who registered in Lagos should be allowed to vote in Anambra just to make sure that Jonathan wins. He even claimed that President Jonathan announced it on Television that any body with a voter’s card can vote any where so far it is a presidential election.
In Nnobi, Nnokwa and Umuoji in Idemili Local Government Area, this observer saw accredited voters who voted minimum of five times and maximum of ten times each at different polling stations.
Another sore point which nearly marred the Presidential election is the attitude of some soldiers drafted to various major roads in the state. Like soldiers from hell, they nearly truncated the exercise as people on essential duties on Election Day were prevented from moving around.

At Onitsha/Owerri road by New Tarzan/Ezeiweka junction, soldiers on Army Camouflage held election observers, the press crew, doctors, priests and even INEC Officials hostage for several hours. Like “zombie”, they said they can only allow election duty tag signed from Onitsha military cantonment, any other tag or identification to them is forged.
All entreaties and plea to them fell on deaf ears as they said they can only take orders from Attahiru Jega or Mr. President.

Daily Champion and the Sun Newspapers incurred heavy looses that day as their vehicle conveying papers to parts of Imo State were impounded from 8am to 5pm. They brutalized anybody that dared to question their action.
Another group of soldiers at Bridge Head axis also restricted all vehicular movements, Alphonsus Nweze, the Onitsha reporter for Champion News paper also got stuck there for over five hours.
The State House of Assembly Election and the scheduled run off between Akunyili and Ngige for the Anambra Central Senatorial District and some other INEC postponed Federal Constituency Elections all combined to raise the stakes for the Easter tuesday April 26th election in Anambra. All the contestants were poised to win at all costs and this led to another level of mountainous anomalies

Five days before the election, Ose market the largest foodstuff market in Onitsha was abuzz with activities. An ACN party agent on the campaign train of Dr Chris Ngige came and ordered 500 bags of rice from a wholesaler. This, according to sources was to be shared to the targeted electorates so as to be swing votes in favor of Ngige. The party agent as witnessed by this reporter also ordered the rice seller to remove one painter each from the bags of rice for his own personal gain and re- sew the bags to look as it was not tampered. This was a Herculean task for the seller until the last bag was removed.
While in the process of sharing, news filtered in from Isseke in Ihiala local government that problem started in the community when the villagers gathered for sharing the rice together with other ones brought allegedly by the Labour Party candidate for the House of Assembly in the area.
In the process of arriving at a sharing formula, fighting ensued and the police were invited from the nearby station to maintain peace.

Pronto, the policemen arrived and a trigger-happy cop among them fired a shot in the midst of the rice sharers killing one person instantly. Infuriated by this action, the villagers descended on the policemen and killed two instantly in retaliation.

Electoral fraud continued unabated still at Oyi- Omanbala -Ayamelum axis of the state. One of our observers who monitored the election in Umumbo Uga square, Ayamelum recorded this in his incident report; “there were incidents of vote buying and double voting at the centre. When the officer came in to identify the culprits, he was induced with a bottle of drink. The villagers were influenced to vote for the PDP candidate due to the illiterate nature of the people. The APGA party agent left the polling unit only to appear during the issuance of form EC8A result sheet indicating a possible collaboration with PDP agents”.

Another observer reported that CKC Oguta road secondary school with four polling booths was turned to a semi-market as almost all party agents there bought votes openly. This observer also saw the electorates selling their votes for as low as N200. Some of the electorates didn’t even know the list of candidates standing for election indicating that most political aspirants failed to connect with the people at the grass roots during campaigns.

The state Assembly election in Anambra also revealed that what the electorates needed was just a candidate that can identify with their common problem and the person will smile home to victory.

This was the case at Onitsha South constituency I where little known Dr. Emeka Anaebonam of ACN swept the polls simply because he fumigated the area from mosquito infestation. Despite the desperation of the acclaimed godfather of Anambra politics, Chief Chris Uba to impose his sister, Mrs. Chinyere Dim on the people, the people resisted vehemently and Dr. Emeka dislodged both the incumbent and Mrs. Dim to emerge a winner.

At the areas where re- run was ordered between Dr. Chris Ngige and Prof. Dora Akunyili. A combination of war propaganda, inducement and threat combined to give Ngige an upper hand. At Nkpor, Umuoji and Obosi, the ACN party agents allegedly bought over the Presiding Officers and other party agents present prompting all of them to work for ACN to the detriment of APGA. Money was distributed freely that most Presiding Officers in the zone returned home with several hundred thousands of naira in their kitty.

In all, as was the general opinion, the 2011 election was a remarkable improvement from the “wuruwuru” era of 2003 and 2007 but there are still many rooms for improvement. Things can only get better if the people show more commitment to the process and politicians learn to play by the rules.

Comrade Attah, Writer, Political Scientist and Chairman,
Civil Liberties Organization (CLO)Anambra state branch writes from
Onitsha, Anambra State.
08035090548
princemmy@yahoo.com