Governor Seriake Dickson has in strong terms condemned the electoral malpractice and violence which marred the supplementary elections in Brass, Nembe, Ekeremor town and parts of Southern Ijaw local council area.
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In a statement Friday, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, said that from intelligence report gathered by party, Saturday’s election is a mere formality because, the APC, using federal might, has already written the results ahead of the election.
The decision by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to decentralize the distribution of election materials to LGAs across the State facilitated the early arrival of materials in some communities. But Sylva won the rerun in Brass Local Government Area, where he hails from, with 1, 679 votes, against five votes polled by Dickson.
In Brass, election materials and INEC personnel meant for Cape Formosa area, made up of Egweama, Beletiama and Liama were snatched and taken away by thugs to an unknown destination.
In total, PDP now leads the Bayelsa governorship election with about 40,000 votes.
“To ensure the success of the poll, the Nigeria Police Force deployed 5,000 officers to the various polling units across the state”.
He quoted Dickson as accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the killings of innocent Bayelsans in Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe and Sothern Ijaw and wondered why the APC would kill to capture power.
Reports say though pockets of violence and snatching of ballot boxes were recorded in some polling units, the intervention of security men however brought sanity back to the area. Lokpobiri’s house was also attacked by armed bandits he alleged to be hired by PDP during the December 5, 2015 election.
The election was held in 101 polling units in six local government areas and the entire Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. A PDP leader, James Jephtah, had a property belonging to him destroyed by thugs working for the APC, according to reports.
“The governor also accused the security agencies of providing cover for the APC to perpetrate violence and rig the elections in the state”.
The dead were said to have been killed in different local government areas in the state.
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As at midnight, INEC officials at the collation centre at Yenogoa LG City Hall were still putting heads together in preparation for announcement of the result. The spokesman of the command, Asimin Butswat, described the claim as a lie.
