NIGERIANS at a voters registration center
As the April 2011 polls draw near, politicians have already evolved strategies to win the polls at all cost by buying-up voter cards from registered voters. From Kano to Port Harcourt, and from Katsina to Yola, the illicit trade in voter cards is generating fortunes for some unemployed youths. As usual, politicians, who are enmeshed in the crime are busy trading blames across party lines. It is not clear whether this electoral fraud is indeed an exercise in futility as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) repeatedly said.
While the Niger Delta politicians engage Hausa youths in the region by giving them Ijaw names to perpetrate the crime, their counterparts in the North use grains, among other consumables, as an exchange for the cards. It is clear that politicians don’t want to take chances as the elections draw closer.
Youths make fortunes out of voter cards in Kano
In Kano, for instance, politicians are now said to be giving money to their foot soldiers to buy and hoard voter cards.
The cards, it was gathered, are hoarded until the election day when they would be distributed with some incentives to “mobilize” the youths to vote for a particular party.
Findings show that the vote racketeers concentrate mainly in areas where there is high concentration of voters. Although the sale also takes place in rural Kano, the deal takes place within Kano metropolis.
Our reporter learnt that all the major political parties in Kano are not spared in the deal. Although no leading figure could be fingered in the deal, their associates are said to be the ones who buy the cards.
Areas of Kano metropolis where the deal is going on include; Kaura Goje, Rimin Kebe, Darma, Agadasawa, Jakara, Gabari, Dukawa, Gwammaja, Malafa, Kwanar Dala, Fagge, Kurna-Rijiyar Lemo, among others.
Investigation shows that politicians ask the youth to obtain as many as possible and assured them that they would be bought later after the conclusion of the exercise. Now that the deal has begun, each card is bought at the cost of N100 to N200.
A youth voter cards, who simply identified himself as Habu Rogo said he was in possession of about a dozen cards which he obtained at different polling units of Nassarawa Local Government.
According to him, an associate of a notable politician in the state (name withheld); directed him and other youngmen to register for as many times as possible. “As soon as the registration began, they asked us to register a lot, promising that we would be paid for each card,” he said.
But another youth in Sharada area of the metropolis said he was paid N200 for each card he presented to politicians.
An Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency, Ismail Dahiru Muhammad, said although he was aware of the deal going on in his constituency, he would rather lose his seat than engage in buying the voter cards.
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC’s) Shuaibu Fagge, who is the party’s candidate for Fagge Federal Constituency in Kano, said he cautioned his campaign coordinators against engaging in the deal, which, he said, was against the ideals of his party.
Another politician who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said when the cards are bought they are hoarded because the prices will be highly inflated on the eve of the election. “We can’t fold our arms to see others buying. So we have to buy the cards and keep them for election day. That is just the trend in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, all the parties in the state are not spared from the deal. “We are all guilty of this crime. But to say the fact, in Nigerian politics, there is no crime to buy the cards because if you refuse bying, your opponents will buy the votes and defeat you,” he said.
Desperate politicians exchange grains for voter cards in Katsina
In Katsina State, an investigation conducted by Sunday Trust revealed that the buying and selling of the voter cards became rampant midway into the registration exercise in all parts of the state. As a result, there were multiple registrations in an attempt by many youths to make more money.
Though politicians of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were the most culpable, there were indications that opposition parties like the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are also perpetrating the act.
In Governor Ibrahim Shema’s own Dutsimma Local Government Area, a group named “Naka Sai Naka” engaged in weekly distribution grains to mostly women who showed their voter cards and indication of a commitment to vote for the party in the 2011 elections.
When our correspondent visited the town, women were seen queuing at selected polling centers at Dutsimma, collecting two measures of maize and N100.00. Among the areas the exercise were carried out include Hayin Gada, Tafkin Alkali, Yandaka Primary School and other possible polling centers across the area.
Checks revealed that the group founded by one Umaru Abdullahi alias “Tata” and a strong ally of Governor Shema, first started with the collection of voter cards before giving the peasants the handouts. However, they were forced to shelve the idea of retrieving the cards because it attracted criticisms from the opposition.
Sunday Trust investigations in Katsina showed that some politicians sponsored foreigners as well as people from other communities to register and later bought the cards from them with an understanding that they will return to vote in favour of the parties that hired them for the exercise during the general elections.
Our correspondent gathered that a serving state legislator from a local government very close to Katsina, arranged for a vehicle to convey pupils from various Islamic schools at Kofar Marusa area of the metropolis to go and register in his ward. Thereafter, he bought the cards from the school lads at N200 each, with a promise to meet again in April.
The situation was prevalent at Bayan Filin Polo, Kofar Marusa, Dutsin Safe and Cikin Birnin areas where, according to Abdulkadir Isa, who told our correspondent that he registered three times, each of the cards was sold at the rate of N500 to the desperate politicians.
At Bayan Filin Polo, it was ascertained that an unpopular politician engaged in the buy off exercise and allegedly destroyed the cards in order to reduce the number of protest votes against his political party.
Ibrahim Salisu Tsagem who confirmed the development in their area, said most of the politicians engaged in the unscrupulous act were uneducated politicians who still believed they can somehow manipulate the process despite INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega’s, assurance that there wouldn’t be rigging in this year’s polls.
Tsagem revealed that his village politicians asked youths to be ready to return and vote for their parties during the April polls.
While the state comptroller of the immigration service in Katsina, Mr Umar Bulama, paraded some foreigners nabbed registering at Funtua, Malumfashi, Daura and Batsari local governments during the exercise, a renowned clergyman and chairman of the state Jama’atul Izalatul Bid’ah Waiqamatul Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheikh Yakubu Musa Hassan, urged security agencies to investigate the alleged sale of voter cards.
Katsina State chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Dr Yusha’u Armaya’u, raised the alarm to newsmen recently, blaming PDP for an attempt to manipulate the voters registration exercise.
The allegation was dismissed by the state’s chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Rabiu Gambo Bakori, who blamed the opposition for trying to raise a false alarm in order to attract undue favour and sympathy for themselves when it was clear that the PDP will win in April.
Nyako locks horns with Marwa over voter’s cards sale
In Adamawa State, Governor Murtala Nyako and the CPC governorship candidate Brigadier General Buba Marwa (rtd) have since locked horns with over alleged purchase of voter cards.
The salvo was first fired by Marwa when he accused the Adamawa State Government of buying voter cards from residents for N200 each with a view to destroye them. Marwa made the allegation in an interview with journalists in Yola.
He alleged that “the plan to buy and destroy the cards is to rig the forthcoming elections in the state. Information available to us revealed that government officials had been criss-crossing the nooks and crannies of the state on a mission to destroy the voter cards. This is because it is apparent that the incumbent governor would never be returned by the Adamawa electorate.”
Marwa alleged that his campaign organization discovered the-illegal act shortly after the just-concluded voters registration exercise. The CPC candidate added: “I do know that a special unit has been set up by the government to find out how the INEC machines and systems can be manipulated as it has been done in the past, but the good thing under Professor Attahiru Jega is that the machines cannot be compromised.”
While calling on the electorate not to sell their voter cards, but use them as a weapon to remove “unpopular governments” and elect the leaders of their choice, Marwa threatened that his party will not be rigged out by anybody, as “we will die there with those people who are rigging.”
He added that the decision was not “aimed at causing violence or inflicting harm on anybody.” He insisted that anybody making attempts to rig elections in Adamawa would be resisted. He said the matter has been reported to the relevant authorities.
“This is an open secret now. They are doing it. But at our own level, we are giving information and facts that we have to the appropriate agencies so that they would know how to respond to it,” he noted. He however declined to comment on the “evidence.”
But in a swift reaction, Nyako, refuted the claims and described Marwa as a desperate politician who is ready to pull the roof down in his bid to get the governor’s seat. He spoke through his Special Adviser on Election Matters, Alhaji Usman Ibrahim. He denied the allegations, saying that being a bad loser; Marwa is already seeking sympathy in a virgin land.
The governor’s aide explained Nyako could not use government officials to buy voters cards for the sake of destroying them, saying that the people of the state want him to govern them, so he is not desperate.
He said that, “though we don’t want to join issues with him, but there is clear indication that Marwa is too desperate to become the governor of Adamawa State. And that that was why the former military ruler and ambassador decamped from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and
joined the CPC in a hurried manner.”
“You see, these are some of the cover-up by some people who are naturally fraudulent; who normally accuse others before they are being accused. Some three weeks ago, we had featured on ATV television programme where one of the CPC key aspirants participated. I threw out the allegation that some prominent politicians in this state have started the buying up voters’ cards from prospective voters just to disenfranchise them,” he said.
The Nyako’s aide said that they have jointly issued statements with INEC condemning the buying-up of voter’s cards with the pretext that they will be given back their cards on the day of election.
Reacting to the development, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Kassim Gaidam, confirmed that there was such insinuations by some politicians. He however said that the matter was not officially communicated to his office.” He warned that the electoral body will not take it kindly with any deviant’ politician found wanting.
Similarly, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Elhira Altine Daniel, told Sunday Trust on telephone that they are not receiving any complaints in that regards. “We are yet to officially receive the complaints of politicians buying-up voters’ cards from prospective voters. And as soon as we get it, I will furnish you,” the PPRO said.
Politicians engage Hausa youths to get voter cards in Niger Delta
Investigations by Sunday Trust showed that in Rivers State voter cards were being traded right from the period of voters’ registration. Some political actors from Rivers and Bayelsa states had used agents to mobilize hundreds of Hausa youths (involved in petty trading).
The youth it was gathered, were paid various sums of money after which they were conveyed to obtain voter cards in Ogu town in Ogubolo Local Government in Rivers and Nembe in Bayelsa states. The youths were registered with Ijaw names, as required by agents, who immediately retrieved the cards from them for onward delivery to desperate politicians.
It was also learnt that most of the youths were paid between N1,500 to N2,000. Some 300 youths, who were conveyed to Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas in Bayelsa were said to have been given N10,000 for the same purpose.
Sunday Trust correspondent observed that there was large turn-out ofHausa youths during the registration exercise to obtain voter’s cards in Port Harcourt.
Alhaji Musa Sa’idu, Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) for South -South and South East, who is also leader of the northern community in Rivers State, confirmed this to Sunday Trust. He said that he personally witnessed a situation where dozens of Hausa youths sat inside a bus at the trailer park in Onne, Port Harcourt, who were about to be conveyed to Ogu town, headquarters of Ogu/Bolo local government area of Rivers at the instance of a top politician in the area. He said he also came across a woman who came to Port Harcourt with buses to pick Hausa youths for purchase of voter cards.
“I was at Notore, former NAFCON, in Onne here in Port Harcourt when I saw our youths in their dozens inside some buses. I started going towards them and when they sighted me, they all ran out of the buses because they knew the ACF had taken up the matter with the police. I later discovered that they were being taken to Ogu town. So, I reported the issue to the DPO there and the agents were arrested, but they were released later. When I made enquiries from the DPO, he told me that the Chairman of Eleme local government area (a PDP man) pleaded that the people should be released,” Sa’idu said.
The ACF chieftain also alleged that the ACF later learnt that a politician was in Hausa line in Port Harcourt to mobilize and convey dozens of youths to his native town, Buguma in Rivers State for the same purpose. He further alleged that the ACF equally learnt some agents had also mobilized some voter cards selling Hausa youths for a governorship candidate he didn’t want to name.
“I learnt that the same person was in Hausa line to move our boys to Buguma, his native town in Asari Toru Local Government of Rivers State. He was helping someone close to him, who is also a governorship candidate in one political party. So, I reported to the state director of SSS and I have been told that the two politicians were called to write undertakings,” he said.
“But, it saddens my heart so much that only our people descended to that level of being moved and given different names to obtain and sell voter cards. No Igbo or Yoruba man and indeed the Ijaw could have done that. I have been educating my people to let them know whoever they want they should vote for during the elections. But they should not release their voter cards. I feel so bad,” the ACF chairman noted.
He said that a boat conveying some Hausa youths to Brass capsized and they narrowly escaped. Sunday Trust gathered from many sources that the accident, indeed, occurred but none of the youthS could be identified for interview.
Information has been going round that candidates were buying voter cards for N10,000 with supporters of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of the PDP and Dr Abiye Sekibo of the ACN trading accusations. In Bayelsa, similar accusation is being traded between supporters of Governor Timipre Sylva (PDP) and Mr. Timi Alaibe’s Labour Party ahead of the governorship elections.
Sunday Trust gathered that in some cases, the voter cards were being retrieved from supporters in areas where a candidate is seen to be popular for the purpose of “keeping and safeguarding the cards.”
In Akwa Ibom state, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Maria Owi has complained a new trend where voter cards are allegedly being purchased from eligible voters by aides of the Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio.
Mrs Owi, said that she had received several reports from some residents of the state who have called her severally to protest against the purchase of voters’ cards from many ignorant voters.
Though the electoral commissioner did not name those involved, some pressure groups in the state a few weeks ago had warned that agents of the Akpabio administration were offering as much as N10,000 per card.
“Yes I have received a lot of calls that persons suspected to be agents of the state government are going about buying voters’ cards from some members of the public. I have not been able to arrest any suspect, the last time they called me I arrived late so I couldn’t get them but we are still at alert,” the INEC boss said.
Some of the areas in the state where crime is perpetrated according to her include; Uruan, Urunuko, and Itu amongst other local government areas.
We are aware of the illicit trade – INEC
The Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of INEC, Mr Kayode Idowu told Sunday Trust yesterday that the electoral body was aware of the voter cards trade. But he said that it is an exercise in futility. “It is an electoral malpractice. It is an offence to buy or sell voter cards,” he said.
Idowu explained that whoever indulges in the act is wasting his time. “It is an exercise in futility. Voters will be accredited simultaneously all over the country. A single voter can’t be at two polling stations at the same time,” he said.
The INEC spokesperson described the act as “politicians’ desperation. They still think that it will be business as usual. But they will be proved wrong after the April polls,” Idowu said.
- Secret Trade in Voter Cards Spreads