Bauchi 2019 General elections: INEC, politicians, matters arising

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

The 2019 general elections have come and gone with candidates of various political parties emerging victorious from the Presidency, National to state assemblies.

In Bauchi State, the contest was between 31 governorship candidates, but the game was largely tilted towards the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the strongest opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) .

The Incumbent Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar who contested under the platform of the APC had Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir of the Peoples Democratic Party as his major challenger who eventually emerged the winner.

The PDP candidate Mohammed who was a Senator and FCT minister under Goodluck Jonathan, had the full backing of the people of Bauchi State and some prominent personalities like the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara who is representing Dass, Bogoro and Tafawabalewa LGAs.

Others include, Elder statesman, Alhaji Bello Kirfi, former Senate Leader Abdul Ningi, Senator Hamma Misau, Senator Nazif Gamawa, amongst others.

Although other candidates ‎of the PRP, Professor Ali Pate, and NNPP’s Ambassador Ahmad Shuaibu glittered during electioneering campaigns, but were not given much consideration during the voting period by the electorates.

On the other hand, Governor Abubakar had the power of incumbency at his disposal with former Governor Isa Yuguda, the former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Senator Babayo Garba Gamawa, former Deputy Governor, Abdulmalik Mahmud and many other personalities behind him.

The exercise with all the rigours involved most especially with the desperation by some politicians to clinch positions of their interest by crook or hook, the Electoral umpire in Bauchi State under Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi stood its ground to ensure strict adherence to the Electoral laws.

In such a tensed political environment, pundits believed that only a man with a lion heart who is ready to do justice at all cost to deliver a successful election can withstand such pressures.

Under the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, a peaceful election was conducted which produced elected Governor, Senators Houses Of Representatives and Assembly from different political platforms, an indication that the will of the electorates were guaranteed.

During the elections, specifically gubernatorial, series of allegations were leveled against Abdullahi by politicians across the state alleging connivance with the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) to rig election in their favour.

The REC had maintained severally that he will do justice to all parties, but some politicians who felt he should do their bidding instead of discharging his constitutional responsibility ‎could not realise that Alhaji Abdullahi was only there to supervise the entire exercise and not to determine who wins or lose in the contest.

Alhaji Abdullahi had at different fora, called on politicians not to see election as a do or die affair and at the same time reminding them that power belongs to Almighty God who choose to bestow such to whom he wishes at any given time.

At the heat of the contest, some politicians even went to the extent of calling for the redeployment of the REC at the expense of the strong strategic plans he has put in place to ensure transparent and credible election as seen at the end of the exercise where the opposition won against the incumbent.

Because of his doggedness for justice for all, some politicians vying for various elective positions under different political parties in the state assumed that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ibrahim Abdullahi was working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Abdullahi had in his quest to conduct a transparent, free, fair and credible election in Bauchi ensured that INEC under his supervision held series of meetings with stakeholders such as security agents, leaders of political parties, religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations, the media and some European election observers.

He had also‎ appealed to political parties who have fielded candidates for various positions to comply with section 45 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

According to him, the section provides that, “each political party must notify the electoral officer of the local government in writing to appoint a polling agent for each polling unit and Collation centre in the local government for which it has a candidate.”

“The notice must state the name and address of the polling agents which will be given to the electoral body at least seven days before the date fixed for the election.”

The REC while supervising the sorting out of election materials said, “we are sorting out the materials to be on a safer side to be sure of what we have. We are doing that based on the 20 local government areas in Bauchi State.”

“Each electoral officer is at the CBN with the number of registered eligible voters in his area and will get the required number of ballot papers for the elections based on that,” Abdullahi assured.

He said while sorting out that, “all the sensitive materials will first be shared to the local government areas that are the farthest so that they can get to those areas in good time.

“We are here with all the electoral officers and political parties and what we are doing here is that we are sorting out the sensitive materials based on the local government areas.

What we have are the sensitive materials including the ballot papers and the result sheets. All the materials are intact,” Abdullahi had said during the commencement of distribution of voting materials.

For conducting what it described as a credible elections, a coalition of Domestic Observers deployed to Bauchi State to observe the 2019 general elections‎ passed a vote of confidence on the Bauchi State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led by Alhaji Abdullahi.

As reported in some National Dailies, the commendation was contained in a communiqué signed and issued to Journalists in Bauchi after the main election in the state by the Coalition’s Coordinator, Muhammad Abubakar and the Secretary, DK Isaac Idoma respectively.

The communiqué said, “We commend INEC for its efficient and transparent manner in which materials were distributed to all the 20 local government areas.”

According to the communiqué, “The team’s preliminary assessment revealed that the Commission mobilised all necessary logistics and human resources towards a successful conduct of the 2019 general elections in Bauchi State.”

The governor elect, Senator Bala had shortly after being presented with his certificate of Return commended INEC for their doggedness in respecting the wishes and aspirations of the people of Bauchi State despite the fact that there were some behind the scene tactics to perpetrate malpractice by some selfish politicians.

Mr John Habila Murai, a Journalist with the state owned Television Station (BATV) who reports from other local governments areas in the state confirmed that the exercise was generally peaceful.

Mr John who attributed the peacefulness of the election in the state to selfless and sincerity of purpose exhibited by the REC and his officials enjoined the Electoral umpire to improve upon in the areas of timely arrival of electoral materials, cases of inconclusive elections and the workings of the card reader machines in future elections.