Date: 2017-08-19

A week ago, the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) announced that it would not make use of card reader for the conduct of the Local Election slated for November 4, 2017. But the announcement had since been trailed by flurry of mixed feelings by some political parties. In this piece, AHMED 'LATEEF, captures the moment.

The grass root political terrain in Kwara State, which had remained silent for almost one year, is apparently coming to live again. This development is obviously caused by the recent announcement by the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) to organize local government poll by November 4 this year.

Since November last year when the elected local government councils were dissolved across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state following the expiration of their three year tenure, activities had been at lull. Even with the setting up of the Transitional Implementation Committees (TICs), obviously to fill the vacuum, the usual upbeat at the grass root politics had been ebbed down.

As a measure to ensure seamless transition and operation of the third tier of government in the state, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, upon the expiration of the term of the former occupants of the council areas, constituted caretaker committees with mandate to serve for three months. At his pleasure, the governor also renewed the period in separate letters written to the state House of Assembly, where he sought approval, the requests that were expressly granted.

The decision of the state government to set up caretaker committee at the local government level was hinged on paucity of fund, though not without reservation and resistance by the opposition. And since the setting up of the caretaker committee subsisted, the common saying that every politics begins at the grass root, seems to have disappeared into oblivion.

At a time, the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state vowed to challenge the decision of the state government to institute TICs in the council areas instead of an election expected to usher in new helmsmen.

But the state government assured that the council election would be conducted as soon as its financial situation improves. The temporary delay put the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP in the state at daggers drawn, as they went for each other's jugular with attendant accusation and counter-accusation.

The announcement by the KWASIEC, about two weeks ago, to go ahead with the council poll, appeared to be a soothing balm, especially for the opposition that had anxiously awaited the day.

However, the electoral commission last Friday held a stakeholders meeting with representatives of political parties where it ruled out the possibility of using card reader for the election, the initiative which was introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2015 general elections.

The KWASIEC Chairman, Dr Uthman Abdulrahaman Ajidagba, who addressed the forum, said it decided to jettison the gadget because of possible malfunctioning and other logistics problems that may crop up during the conduct of the election.

He said the electoral umpire was conscious of what might become the fate of the election if it should go ahead with the card reader machine with no strong conviction that all will be well after all.

Ajidagba maintained that the stakeholders' meeting was summoned to formalize the activities of the commission and inform political parties as key players in the council poll of its readiness to the make the exercise free, fair and credible.

The KWASIEC boss said the electoral body was not unaware that the state is reputed for peace and harmony, saying political class must also strive to maintain the reputation in their actions and conducts during the local government election.

While warning participants against the use of violence and hooliganism to destabilize the election, Ajidagba urged them to join hands with the commission to ensure success of the council poll.

Despite reasons advanced by the electoral umpire to jettison card reader in the election, mixed feelings have continued to trail the decision, which some political parties alleged, was a ploy to manipulate the process.

While the APC said KWASIEC was constitutionally empowered to determine what and what not to do for the poll, parties like PDP and Labour Party expressed reservation in the election if the electoral commission should proceed with its decision not to use card reader.

In a reaction yesterday, the state Secretary of the Labour Party, Comrade AbdulMumin Abdulkareem Onagun, said KWASIEC should have a rethink on his decision not to make use of card reader in the council poll.

He stated that the party had begun to entertain fear in the event that the election was conducted without the gadget, which he added, was most acceptable method across the globe.

Onagun said, "Honestly, as a party, I think the KWASIEC should have a rethink on that their decision, because card reader actually has a lot of advantages. Honestly, the reasons adduced by the KWASIEC Chairman when we met last Friday are not convinced enough because the thinking is that most of the items to be used for the forthcoming local government election will be obtained from INEC by KWASIEC.

"For instance, the voters' list will be obtained from INEC. So, the reasons that the thing (card reader) has been used for sometime and there are no people that have been trained, honestly, are not enough. We are barely two and half months to the election, and I think if something realistic is done in those areas from now, even they can employ the service of INEC themselves.

"By making it open to everybody, honestly, we are entertaining fear. As far as we are concerned, there is need to have a rethink about not using car reader for the election. It is the most acceptable method worldwide".

Also speaking, the state PDP Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr Femi Yusuf, alleged that the plan not to use card reader was a ploy to rig the election.

He said there was no justification for the electoral commission to insist that it would not use card reader, adding that it should not take the commission more than one week to train its personnel on the usage of the gadget.

"The issue of card reader is not the reason why we would not go into the election, and it is not that the Constitution forbids using of card reader. So, if KWASIEC now said they are no going to use card reader, we believed that it is part of their plot to rig the election. But irrespective of that, we still want to go ahead with the election and frontally vie for it and fight it to the finish.

"That is why we are urging all Kwarans to come out, vote en mass, sensitize our youth and let us see how they are going to handle it. Though, we have some reservations about the integrity of the electoral body because of the antecedent. We are watching them and I want to assure you that we are going to partake in the election", the PDP spokesman said.

But the state APC Publicity Secretary, Mr Sulyman Buhari, said the electoral umpire reserved the right to determine how to prosecute the electoral process and maintained that the allegation by other parties was borne out of mischief.

"KWASIEC called all political parties to an interactive session and when this issue (non-usage of card reader) was raised at the meeting, no political party kicked against it. But if after that interactive session, other political parties are now coming up that they are exercising a fear by the KWASIEC not using the card reader, that there is going to be a lot of manipulation, I think they are trying to play politics with that statement.

"Because before card was introduced into our electoral process, we have been counting elections and there was no any accusation. You can only accuse the electoral body once you have seen that you are at a loosing side. But the man (KWASIEC Chairman) gave reasons why the commission was not going to use card reader. He cited examples. He said he even went to different states to see how they conducted their own election. He mentioned Niger, Lagos and Kebbi and others, saying none of the states used card reader. So why are we bringing this kind of thing yet?

"Since the commission said it was not going to use it and that they don't have confidence about the card reader; that they are not in possession of that card reader; that it is not their property, how would they go and pick it and start using it for an election? At the end of the day if problem happened, it is we political parties that will stand up again and start accusing them that they are not competent, they are not doing their work.

"So, KWASIEC is in the right position to tell us what is comfortable for them to use. But all we are asking for as political parties, is a credible, free and fair election. In as much as they gave us their word that they are going to give us a credible, free and fair election, I think we should not impress it (card reader) on them. It is not as if the card reader is mandatory for all the electoral bodies to use.

"If KWASIEC comes out tomorrow and says they want to use card reader, APC is comfortable with it. If they say they are not going to use card reader, APC is comfortable with it. Why we are comfortable with whatever position the electoral body takes all the political parties is because we have a solid structure. We have committed members. Our party is everywhere and we have all the machinery to face this election. I don't see how we will entertain any fear whether KWASIEC use card reader or not.

"Even those who are saying that KWASIEC should use card reader, where are they, do they have the structure, do they have the capacity? As APC, we are ready for any competition. All what we want is free and fair election.

"The allegation coming from some of these political parties that we are going to influence the electoral commission is because they are exercising failure. They see failure coming to their side and all they are saying is a political statement. Any political party that has not prepared for the election, that doesn't have the capacity, no structure, that is the statement you will be hearing from them.

"The process has not started yet. We just got the notice, the timetable is not out. The collation officer and agents have not been appointed by KWASIEC. So, if the list of the collation officers or the KWASIEC agents has been released and you see that this the APC or PDP member, that is how you can fault them. But none of these things had been done.

"So, why are they now saying that they are planning way to manipulate or whatever. I see that statement as political and a way of expressing their fear, that is let us make noise before we even lose in this election. They know and we know that there is no opposition in this state. We only have noise makers", APC spokesman said.

In spite of reasons advanced for not using card reader in the forthcoming local government election across the 16 council areas, all eyes are now on the electoral commission as to whether it will prove its vow to parties in the poll, to conduct free, fair and credible election.