About SEIC

Build-up to the Local Government Election

The ruling party, All Progressives Congress, (APC) launched a massive campaign ahead of the local government election. The party campaigned from one town to the other, rural homesteads to the other; campaign posters of candidates of the ruling party were more prominent.

However, the campaign machinery of the opposition was weak. There were fewer posters and bills of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state. The PDP also did not embark on intensive political campaign ahead of the election. It was as if the party had lost hope in the electoral process albeit without justification.

The other political parties were basically inactive ahead of the election. This is due to a number of factors based in interviews and interaction with members of the non-mainstream political parties:

  1. i) Lack of grassroots structure of the political parties: The remaining political parties apart from APC and PDP appear not to have an effective local structure, no offices, while many of them have no regular meetings unlike the two leading political parties in the state. In some instances, the political parties have to officials and no recognized leadership at the grassroots.
  2. ii) Impact of the control of state political structures by the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Ekiti State. The ruling APC appears to have a domineering presence in all the social and cultural strata of the state. The presence of the ruling party is felt through the means of mass communication in the state compared with the other political parties.

iii)              Lack of interested candidates in the various offices available. The other political parties simply failed to produce candidates for the December 07 election. Many of the candidates where visible were relatively unknown to the voters

  1. iv) Lack of leadership direction at the national level. The National Headquarters of the other political parties was non-challant to the local government election which should not be so. This robs away the inspiration needed to drive participation of the affected members of the political parties in the December 07 election.
  2. v) Poor coordination at the local level. Many of the political parties have no structure, no offices, no meeting points and are largely disjointed, disorganized and poorly coordinated making effective participation in the local government election difficult.
  3. vi) Fear of defeat. There is an inherent fear of defeat harboured by the over 50 political parties in Ekiti State. Leaders of some of the political parties claimed they were no confident enough to go into the field to contest against the ruling party.

 

vii)           Paucity of funds. Lack of adequate funds may have been partly responsible for the  inability of many political parties to take active part in the Local Government election. However, it was impressive that the political parties were not left out on the ballot boxes.

 

 

Pre-Election Voters’ Education

The State Independent Electoral Commission, (SEIC) embarked on intensive voter’s education prior the election. The SEIC employed radio and Television in mobilizing the electorate for the election. SEIC officials informed NHRC that the stakeholders were invited for briefing before the election was held on December 07.

 

Arrival of material

In the polling units visited, materials arrived as early as 8am. The SEIC officials were efficient in the delivery of electoral materials to units in Ikole, Ikere, Moba, Ido-Osi, Ado-Ekiti, Emure, Ode-Ekiti, Ijero, Efon-Alaaye, Omuo, Irepodun-Ifelodun, Aramoko, Ileje-meje, Oye and Gbonyin local government.

There were about six officials in each polling unit including a police officer who was unarmed.

Voters’ Turn out

The turn-out of voters average about 56 percent increase in voter’s turn out compared with previous Local Government elections. This is a commendable record compared with the turn out in previous local government elections.

Security

The security offered by the police was excellent. There were no armed personnel. The polling units were protected by unarmed uniformed police men and women. There was a violent incidence in Ikere Ekiti where one voter was killed. The incidence according to NHRC observers was caused by some armed thugs who for no reason invaded the polling units and shot at the people in the face of fierce public resistance.

Apart from the Ikere incidence, there was no any major case of violence. There were no intimidation of voters, no armed roadblocks, not harassment and snatching of ballot papers.

 

Lessons

  1. i) The States are competent to organize local government elections without the meddlesomeness of the Federal Government. Ekiti State Government has proved that this is possible.
  2. ii) Elections in Nigeria can be organized without violence.

iii)              Elections can be organized in Nigeria without the traditional siege mentality imposed on the people and the tradition of brigandage associated with Nigerian elections.

  1. iv) The election results were announced in less than 24 hours. This is an impressive culture that should be emulated by the Federal Government and National Independent Electoral Commission, (INEC).

Corruption

  1. i) The election was devoid of vote buying.
  2. ii) Voters were not induced with cash to be able to cast their votes.

iii)              Money was not shared at the polling units

  1. iv) The voting was more secretive than what is seen during Federal elections.

 

Public Media

  1. i) There were no instances of the state’s media institutions being used to propagate the interests of the ruling party.
  2. ii) The coverage of the election was non-partisan by the publicly owned media institutions.

iii)              The views of the ruling party and the opposition were fairly presented on the public (state) owned media organisations.

Weaknesses

  1. i) The voting materials were not enough
  2. ii) The SEIC voter’s education was not extensive before the election.

iii)              Voters’ mobilization by the relevant  was not as intensive compared with Federal elections.

  1. iv) There were not enough polling units in some areas compelling many voters to either stay away or were reluctant in making the sacrifices of walking long distances to cast their votes.