The people of Enugu State are looking forward to the outcome of the local government elections holding in December this year. Enugu Correspondent, Nnamdi Mbawike who has been monitoring events in the state concludes that only the anointed candidates of the state governor, Chief Sullivan Chime may emerge victorious.
On December 10, this year, the electorate in Enugu State will go to the polls to choose new chairmen for the 17 local government areas in the state. The time table for the election was released last month by the Enugu State Independent National Electoral Commission (ENSIEC).
Briefing the press on the forthcoming elections, the chairman of ENSIEC, Dr Boniface Eneh promised that the commission would conduct credible, free and fair polls that everybody, including the opposition and the ruling party would be satisfied with.
While assuring that the electoral body would conduct an election that would be the envy of all, he stated that nobody in the commission was a member of any of the political parties.
“Nobody in the commission is a card carrying member of any of the political parties. We will ensure that we conduct free, fair and credible elections,” Eneh assured.
The state chief electoral commissioner disclosed that electioneering campaigns would commence on November 26 and end on December 9, 2011.
He stated that he was not aware that some political parties have already begun campaigns but said he was aware that some people had started displaying their posters.
According to the time table released, the council election process begun in August 22, 2011.
The chief electoral commissioner however, refused to disclose the money involved in the procurement of nomination papers saying that he would disclose the money soon.
Some representatives of the political parties were present at the press briefing where the time table was released.
Expectedly, despite the assurance by the Eneh led ENSIEC, opposition parties have continued to maintain that the forthcoming council elections would not be free and fair.
They believe as usual that the “payer of the Piper would dictate the tune”. Their insistence is hinged on the history that local government elections have never been free and fair in the history of Enugu State politics.
During the administration of former Governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaraoke Nnamani, elections at the local government were massively rigged in favour of the PDP as those in the good books of the former governor were allegedly handpicked as chairmen of local government councils. Chime traveled that path too in the two consecutive elections conducted so far. It is against this background that most people have taken the ENSIEC assurance of free and fair election with a pinch of salt.
Speaking with newsmen recently on the forthcoming council polls, former Presidential candidate and current national chairman of Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Mr. Maxi Okwu advised people not to expect anything close to a credible polls in the state.
Okwu, whose political party, the CPP, won a councillorship position in Oji River Local Government Council of the state during the last 2009 local government elections in the state, urged Nigerians to forget about free or fair polls at the council levels as the PDP would always rig elections.
He added that as far as some of the state electoral bodies maintain offices inside state government houses, the electorate should forget about free or fair polls at the council level.
“I have no confidence in these state electoral commissions including the one in Enugu state. They are merely there at the beck and call of the government of the day. In fact, I was shocked to discover that some state electoral commissions have offices inside government houses. So how can they be impartial, in fact I don’t have confidence in local government elections because there is no way you can win except if they allow you to win. Secondly, I am becoming disillusioned with all these small parties we run. Some of these opposition parties should come together to form formidable opposition against the PDP,” Okwu said.
On the insinuation that his party was conceded the councillorship seat in his local government, he insisted that his party’s candidate actually won the election.
“It was a fair contest, what happened is that the man was in PDP and lost nomination and the communities have this zoning system so entrenched and respected that if you go against it you lose. So when PDP denied him nomination and it was the turn of their people and they have the population, the people told him to go and look for any political party that they will return him and there was no way Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission could change it, but eventually the Man went back to PDP.”
As mixed reactions continue to greet ENSIEC, the promise of free and fair elections continues to dim. The prayer of many in the state is for Chime and the electoral commission to ensure there is free and fair elections.