Though two years have passed since the April 2007 elections. “winners” of that election which has stamped an indelible mark on the psyche of the nation are already warming up. The “vanquished” have either joined the victors, or are reorganising to for a ‘mega’ party to fight the next elections. The law courts have given a clean bill of health to the charade that was scorned by the international community and derided by even young people who now accuse erring pals of playing PDP.

The following accounts are excerpts from complaints lodged with the independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Taraba state. Some of the accounts were narrated by INEC appointed electoral officials who become eye witnesses only in a process they were supposed to supervise. These queer events took place in Takum and Ussa Local Government areas of Taraba state.

Ayikene Bitrus is from Fete ward in Takum Local Government area. According to his petition, the citizens were unable to vote in all the polling stations on the 21st April 2007. Voting materials arrived at the headquarters in Fete very late in the day between 7 to 8 pm long after the polls were expected to have closed. The Polling stations were to be opened for voters from 8am. Voters waited all day and were unable to vote due to lack of materials and the failure of the Election Officers to turn up. After the arrival of the materials, a selected number of individuals were given the ballot boxes and materials to thumb print the ballot papers. It was then decided how to share the votes between the candidates. He also reported that in some polling stations these acts led to violent outbreaks. “All the final results from Fete ward was just written on assumption. No one voted, every ballot paper should be electronically tested to examine the finger prints and then cross examine the results once again”
In Yukuben Ward, Takum Local Government Area, Peter Joseph of the Action Congress party officer reported that his ward did not get any materials until 10pm on the 21st of April by which time most people retired home for the night. He was assured that in the morning the materials will be distributed so people can vote. However “in the morning 22 April we came and saw the INEC ward returning Officer filling results when we woke up. No, election was conducted in the ward. Please do something to save our democracy in Nigeria” He said

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In Rufu ward, a similar situation was reported. The voting materials arrived by 6pm. It was raining and the citizens who had been waiting at the Polling stations went to take shelter.  While they were waiting for the rain to subside, the ballot papers were taken to the PDP zonal chairman’s house where some selected persons thumb printed ballot papers. The citizens then moved to the chairman’s house. On sighting the citizens, some of the individuals thumb printing took off with the ballot boxes while some fought off the citizens. This went on through most of the night. By 8am in the morning, the citizens were told that the results from their ward had been presented to the Electoral officer at the collating center.

Simon M Kwabche was electoral officer. He was a supervisor in Lissam , according to him, no voting took place in Kofar Zakariah 1, kutupwen 1 and Kutupwen 2. He said “in the course of going round the various polling units to see that was happening as the elections took place in the night, I did not see any voting taking place, I have been looking for the presiding officers namely Andenyang Kusho, Rimamtung James and Bala Musa and I am yet to see them”.

Lawi R.Y Muri, also an INEC official, a supervisor of the Kpambo Puri/ Fikyu zone reported a similar situation. Ballot papers were not taken to some polling units and at the polling units where ballot papers were taken no result sheets were available. This led to physical fights in some places. “ Two days after the election into the House of representative , Senate and Presidential election, I am yet to receive voting materials to handover to presiding officers who have come to ask me about them the elections. At about 5pm on the 21st April when I presented myself at the INEC office to collect the materials, I was told to wait”. He waited till the results were declared and “winner” sworn in. So who conducted the election?
 Kwesati Ward and Lumbu Wards also did not receive any materials for voting. Tsonde Gajine, the Youth Leader in Lumbu ward reported that “ we waited throughout the day up to night time, waited at our various polling units for the ballot boxes and electoral matarials to be brought to us so that we can vote. Up till now (24th April, three days after the election date) we are still waiting for the ballot papers as that we can exercise our right to vote for the President, Senator and House of Representatives of our choice. Please send us our materials and INEC officials so that we can vote” he pleaded.  
Mr John Damusa, the Presiding Officer Lissam Jatau Polling Unit, reported that “ No ballot papers and result sheets were handed over to us by the supervisor who told us to go to the ward headquarters. He drove ahead of us and we followed him on motor bikes. He drove so fast that we missed him and we followed him to the ward headquarters and did not see him and have not seen him since then”.
Tina Paul of Kpamba Ward reported that the voting materials were distributed in some polling stations at about 7.30pm and citizen started to vote by 8pm. The materials were collected late at about 5:30pm in Ussa headquarters Lissam and arrived Kpambo ward at 7pm. She said “we started accrediting the voters’ cards around 7:30pm and we could only attend to voters by 8pm. There was tension because no result sheets were given to presiding officers by the supervisor Mr Amos. Later there was a serious rain fall then the presiding officers all disappeared.

Rimamdeyati Mathias of the Progressive peoples Party was a representative of his party at the collation center. The collation of results did not start according to the guidelines due to the fact that the voting started as late as 8pm instead of 8am on the 21st April 2007.  By 4pm of the 22nd all the representatives of the various parties were asked to take their sits at the centre of the hall for the collation of the results. “I brought to the attention of all those present that an incident occurred in Lupwe Tamiya where a fabricated result was given to a senate candidate and not the actual figure” After raising the issue, he was asked to leave the premises and was led out by gun men. “I was asked to walk out of the collation by gun men, when I tried to inquire their reason, they told me it was an order from above.” On inquiring why he was been walked out, he was simply told that “it’s an order from above”. Timothy Yohanna who is of the Progressive Peoples Party was then asked to take his place but was also stopped from entering the collation centre on the instruction of the caretaker chairman of the Local Government. Rimamdeyati said that “my conclusion of that election is that my party was not given an opportunity to be represented at all at the collation centre, because of the wrong results that was being presented. I am calling for the cancellation of the election’s result and fresh election to be conducted”
Then the Army – the Nigerian Army played its role in perfecting the crime against the people of the area. Army personal helped to seize ballot boxes, beat up people and protect the marauding PDP machinery. Here are excerpts from a petitions sent to the Army headquarters then.
A. April 14, 2007 Elections

1.    Kwesati

Soldiers deployed to the polling unit openly barred voters from going to vote. In polling units such as Kwesati soldiers asked whether they were PDP supporters or not; if they said they were for other parties they were sent away. The soldiers supervised the thumb printing for the PDP. One voter , Ndefu , who managed to get to the polling unit and was thumb printing for the DPP had the ballot paper seized and torn by one of the soldiers at the polling unit. All the ballot papers for the other five polling units in the ward were taken to the same place for thumb printing

2.    Lissam 11

a)    Kofar Asinde

Soldiers deployed to the unit beat up voters and seized and ran away with the ballot box and ballot papers, hence disenfranchising voters who had gathered to vote

b)    Kofar Kwe Adu Polling Unit

After votes had been cast, soldiers got to the unit with a station wagon, prevented the counting of the votes and made away with ballot materials

c)     Kofar Joro Tuktur Ploing Unit

While voting was still going on, soldiers rushed to the unit in a station wagon, seized the ballot box and made away with it

d)    Tamiya, Lupwe

Soldiers took away the presiding officer, polling clerk and Assistants with all ballot materials to unknown destination. The people in the area did not vote

Rufu Ward

I.      Kutafa Poling Unit

Ballot papers were taken to the bush to be thumb printed. When the Action Congress agent complained to the soldiers at the polling unit, they grabbed him, threw him into their pick up and drove away. He was released the following day

II.      Kofar Musa Akama Polling Unit

Soldiers at the unit handed out ballot papers to PDP thugs to thumb print. Habila Angyu the son of the PDP Zonal Chairman, David Angyu directed soldiers on whom to beat up and arrest. Action Congress Agent, Mamtanung Ayuba was beaten up by the soldiers and hospitalized for cuts on his face. Soldiers took away all the ballot materials from the other polling units to Mr. David Angyu’s House where they were thumb printed.

Lissam 1 Ward

In several of the polling units soldiers were deciding who could vote and who could and not vote. They pulled people form the lines. At the end of the voting soldiers took away the Presiding officers with the result sheets and no votes counted and recorded. At Kofar Kwe Zakariah 1, the Presiding Officer, Andenyang Kusho slipped out of the unit with the result sheet on the excuse that he was going to ease himself. Voters and agents waited for him up to 4.00 AM when soldiers got the unit, snatched the ballot box and went away with it

Kpambo Ward

The ward returning officer, Mr Amos Musa Andekin  and one Audu Polycarp in company of soldiers got to the ward from the Local Government INEC office at about 3.00 PM. At the Kpambo round about they turned and went back to Lissam, the Local Government Headquarters with all the ballot materials which thumb printed at the residence of Elisha Rikwentishe, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Local Government Council.

Kpambo Puri ward

The Attempt by soldiers at Kpambo Yashe  to seize ballot box and papers led to a scuffle that left one of the soldiers injured.


B: April 21, 2007, Presidential and National Assembly Elections

The conduct of soldiers during this period was most unbecoming. Since ballot materials were not issued until 6.00 PM the Soldiers in the main simply chased away agents of other political parties who were following ballot materials. They actively assisted state government officials and PDP stalwarts in taking ballot materials into hiding were they were thumb printed.

Collation Centre intimidation

Rimamndeyati Iliya, accredited official of the Action Congress at the collation centre was prevented by soldiers from entering the Collation centre. Rimamyere Chiribom, AC Candidiet for House of Assembly, who went into the Collation Centre to replace Mr. Rimamndeyati Iliya was dragged out of the centre by soldiers who said they were acting on the instructions of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Party.

Invasion of the Home of AC House of Representatives Candidate

At about 8.00 Soldiers welding guns, led by Lt Oluwatobi forced their way into the private palour of the AC Candidate of the House of Representatives, pointing his torch light on him for several minutes before leaving.

Beatings, seizure of motor cycles

Several people were beaten up and motor cycles seized by the soldiers. Some [people were taken to Army barracks and were only released after pleading form Chief DS Nyapuri.