Introduction
In
line with its commitment to contributing to effective election security management,
the CLEEN Foundation, with support from the Justice for All (J4A) Program of
DFID, observed the conduct of security officials during the Osun state
gubernatorial election held on Saturday 9 August 2014. As done in previous
elections across the country since 2011, CLEEN Foundation implemented a number
of integrated activities aimed at contributing to public safety and security
during the election in Osun
State. First, it conducted
a pre-election security threat assessment to identify potential security risks,
flashpoints and mitigating factors to those threats. The finding of this
assessment was shared broadly with the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, other security
agencies and civil society groups. Second, it organized a one day training
workshop on election security management for all the Divisional Police Officers
and other senior officials under the Osun state police command. The workshop
was also attended by representatives of the Osun State Resident Electoral
Commissioner and the leadership of other law enforcement agencies. It provided
a forum to share useful ideas on how to effectively police the election and
generally ensure safety throughout the exercise. Third, CLEEN Foundation published
abridged versions of the Police Service Commission’s Guidelines for the Conduct
of Police Officers on Electoral Duty in two national dailies, widely read in
the State. The publications also contained the contact numbers for the call
centre it had set up to collate complaints and incident reports from the public
on the conduct of security officials during the election. Lastly, CLEEN obtained
accreditation from INEC, recruited, trained and deployed observers in all 30
local government areas (LGAs) in Osun state to observe the conduct of security operatives
on election duty. This statement sums up the preliminary findings of that
observation exercise.
Background
The
gubernatorial election conducted in Osun
State on 9 August 2014
was contested by candidates of 20 political parties. However, it was
essentially seen as a race between the candidates of the Peoples’ Democratic
Party (PDP) and the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC). Coming on the heels of the
Ekiti loss by APC to the PDP and the history of fierce electoral contestation
in Osun state, the stakes were very high going into the election with both
parties seeking to establish dominance. A number of likely threats to security
during the election were therefore identified and these included unguarded
statements, inflammatory and inciting comments by political gladiators in the
state, perceived acts of prejudice or bias by security agents in favor or
against any of the contestants, late arrival of election personnel and
inadequate polling materials, inadequate security personnel at polling units
and biased media reportage of events around the election. As was done in the Ekiti
election, various law enforcement agencies deployed significant number of
personnel across the state for the election.
Observations
1.
Security
Presence in the State: As has become the pattern,
there was very heavy deployment of security personnel across the state for the
election. They mounted road blocks, conducted stop and search and patrolled
various polling areas. However, their presence did not hinder the electoral process
and there was no major security breach.
2.
Deployment
of Security Personnel: Security officials were
deployed in significant numbers to various polling units across the state. A
majority of polling units had three or more security officials. However, there
were isolated reports of late arrival of security officials (Unit 007, Ward
011, Ede north LGA) and crowd control challenges, especially where there were
just one or two security officials (Unit 011, Ward 006 and Unit 007, Ward 011
Ede North; Unit 005, Ward 002, Ife East; Unit 002, Ward 002, Isokan LGA).
3.
Conduct
of Security Personnel during the Election: Reports
from across the areas observed indicated that most security officials on
election duty carried out their duties in a very professional and commendable
manner. They were alert, impartial, approachable and coordinated. In places were crowd management became a
challenge, they were able to call for back up from the armed roving patrol
teams who intervened to restore order. However, a few incidents were reported
such as the harassment of observers (Unit 003, Ward 004, Ife East LGA; Unit
001, Ward 009, Irewole LGA), and a minor scuffle between the police and
soldiers at a check point close to Unit 001, Ward 002 in Idi-ore, Ayedire LGA.
The presence of masked security personnel was also noted as a worrisome trend
during the elections.
4.
Welfare
of Security Personnel: The provision of adequate
welfare for security officials on election duty remains a pressing challenge.
Most of the officers, especially those deployed from other state commands,
complained of poor accommodation and feeding arrangements. For instance, some
officials deployed to the state on Sunday 3 August 2014 slept in empty primary
school buildings on their own mats and only received a token amount on Friday 8
August 2014. This makes them increasingly vulnerable to compromise and should
be addressed urgently.
5.
Deployment
of Election Logistics: Across the state, election
materials and personnel were reported to have arrived on time. INEC’s ad hoc
personnel also demonstrated a better understanding of the process and were able
to manage it effectively. Thus accreditation, voting and counting all went on
schedule, with little or no challenges in most places.
6.
Activities
of Party Agents: The unlawful activities of
some party agents and loyalists remain worrisome. For instance, vote buying by
party agents was noted at Unit 018, Ward 011, Ife Central LGA; Unit 001 and 002,
Ward 003, Iwo LGA while impersonation was recorded in some places like Unit
002, Ward 004, Oriade LGA.
Recommendations
1.
The
improvements in training and effectively deployment of INEC ad hoc staff and
materials are commendable but much work still needs to be done to improve the quality
of the voters’ register and minimize incidents of voters’ exclusion because of
missing or inaccurate data.
2. Security agencies are urged
to plan ahead of each election and ensure adequate logistics provision for
personnel it will be deploying to cater for their welfare while on electoral
duty and minimize their vulnerability to compromise;
3. The deployment strategy for
security agencies on electoral duty should be revised and improved upon to
ensure adequate coverage of polling units and flashpoint areas;
4. Security agencies should
work towards better coordination and synergy amongst their personnel on
election duty and identifiable tags should be given to those deployed to
facilitate accountability for their conduct;
5. INEC and law enforcement
agencies should take steps to hold political parties and their agents
accountable for their conduct during elections put an end to impunity for
electoral offences by arresting and prosecuting offenders.
We
commend the efforts of INEC, the Police and other security agencies towards
ensuring that the Osun gubernatorial election was peaceful and successful. We also
congratulate the people of Osun
State for their peaceful
conduct during the election and after the release of the results. We thank the
Justice for All (J4A) programme of the UK Government’s Department for
International Development (DfID) for its generous support towards the
observation of this election.
The
CLEEN Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in 1998 and
registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), to promote public
safety, security and accessible justice. CLEEN Foundation is a member of
several networks across the world and also has observer status with the African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
