On January 1, 1963, Akintola was reinstated as Premier
of the Western Region and the Head of the new
Government at Agodi, Ibadan, the seat of the Regional
Government with the formation of his new party, United
People’s Party (UPP), which consisted of those former
Action Group Party members he was able to win to his
side on his expulsion from AG. It was a coalition
government which was formed by the UPP and the
NCNC which had previously formed the Opposition. The
Action Group Party, which had previously formed the
Government of the Western Region, now moved into the
Opposition.

In 1964, the UPP had evolved to be the Nigerian National
Democratic Party (NNDP) with Akintola as leader and as
a friend of the ruling party, NPC. Hence, the 1965
Western Regional elections gave the NPC another
chance of maintaining its political power in the country,
a hegemony which other political power found irksome.
More importantly, the NNDP was determined to remain
in power. In the face of all overwhelming odds against
the NNDP should the elections be free and fair, it was
left with one alternative to rig the elections.

Whether or not the NNDP was following precedence
established by previous political parties, the massive
rigging of the Western Regional elections of October 11,
1965, was flabbergasting. The methods of electoral
fraudulence employed were the familiar ones, but the
scale to which they were used was overwhelmingly much
more severe.

The Electoral Commission led by Mr. Eyo Ita Esua
(1901-1973) publicly admitted that electoral officers
were kidnapped and therefore, could not carry out their
duties while some refused to accept nomination papers
of certain candidates and others failed to report for duty.
Many candidates who had obtained validity papers were
elected “unopposed”.

Inability of the candidate to register aside, there were
questions of ballot papers “floating around” in the West
despite the precautionary measures of giving the ballot
papers to the Police. The use of party agents and thugs
camouflaged as members of the Local Government
Police, was common and rigging was employed in every
conceivable means. Counting was not completed in
some stations before the results of these stations were
broadcast over the radio. Some candidates were
declared elected although their opponents scored higher
votes.

As a result of the grave irregularities, the NNDP won the
elections, 16 of its candidates having been returned
unopposed at the close of nominations. It was publicly
charged that the NNDP victory was due to fraud.
The political atmosphere in the Western Region looked
bleak and dismal and the after-effects of the elections
were even more severe and devastating. Defeated
political candidates had in the past run to the courts to
challenge irregularities at elections. This time they did
not go to courts. Instead, the people took law into their
hands.

Riots, looting, arson and murder were the rule of the
day. Party thugs poured gasoline on opponents and set
them on fire, a situation then known as Operation Wet-ie .
Properties, bags of cocoa and other produce of
opponents awaiting shipment were also set on fire.
Without a doubt, the destruction of properties was not
as horrifying as setting human beings on fire.

By November 1, 1965, a riot at Ekiti resulted in the death
of 15 people while a fresh riot, four days later, caused
the loss of 20 lives. Sixteen people were killed in Ijebu-
Ode and Ondo areas on November 7, 1965. Houses and
vehicles were set on fire and to travel within the Western
Region and from other regions into the West was a
menace because of thugs and gangsters who took law
into their own hands while the Police failed to maintain
law and order. There was tension and wanton
destruction of human life and property.

Nigerians looked to the Federal Government to step in to
arrest the situation in the Region, but all pleas were to
no avail. Meanwhile, the riots and killings continued and
the NNDP Government of the Western Region imposed
curfews in Mushin, Ikeja, Agege, Ajeromi and Awori
districts. Yet, the disturbances continued and each day
brought a new toll of rioting, arson, looting and murder.
The crisis over the struggle for political power during the
Western Regional elections of October 11, 1965 was the
last straw that broke the camel’s back which really
convinced the January boys of their military putsch on
the morning of January 15, 1966.

Read more at: www.historyvilleng.com/2016/09/11/akintola-vs-awolowo-operation-wet-ie-and-the-western-regional-elections-of-1965/

hmmm

I wish this make FP.

some people either out of sheer ignorance of history or deliberate attempt to twist facts always claim Lagos, as we have presently, was FCT. Whereas most areas of modern Lagos were parts and parcel of old Western Region.

Every troubling vice plaguing our country started from the sw.

Gangsterism, election rigging, party defection, treachery, godfatherism, treason, ritual killings and general backstabbing.

Fast forward to the post civil war era, and we see the sw pioneering armed robbery, tokunbo baby immigration scam, drug trafficking, institutionalised corruption, etc.