The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Monday cancelled the elections in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and declared the Saturday governorship election in the state inconclusive.
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After unleashing violence on the state, PDP has turned round to use it to justify calls for the suspension of the rerun election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, which had been rescheduled as a result of the violence. “Henry Seriake Dickson’s term in office would have expired”.
All these, obviously, are dress rehearsals for a bigger violence planned by the PDP when the governorship election result is announced by INEC and a victor is declared.
The party statement reads in part: “We are calling on Bayelsa people, particularly business and shop owners to beware of these protests, as we have it on good authority that the protesters have been instructed to unleash wanton violence and mayhem on the streets of Yenagoa”.
Hon. Obuebite however, assured the people of Bayelsa State that, the evil plot will fail, while equally calling on INEC to make haste to declare His Excellency, Hon.
“PDP has bandied results and all manners of spurious claims regarding the December 5 governorship election in an obvious attempt to second-guess the decision of the Bayelsa people to change their socio-economic and political misfortune through the ballot box”.
“We are against the cancellation of Southern Ijaw Local Government election”, Mr. Sorgwe stated.
Chief Jonathan Obuebite, Director of Publicity of Gov. Seriake Dickson Campaign Organisation, alleged that All Progressives Congress (APC) members were preparing for a violent protest in the state.
They said all hell would let loose if the commission failed to announce the poll results from Southern Ijaw as they were, and return Sylva as governor-elect of Bayelsa.
The briefing was attended by the chairmen of Social Democratic Party, SDP; African Democratic Congress, ADC; Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN; KOWA; Progressives People Alliance, PPA; Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN; Democratic Peoples’ Party, DPP; Democratic People’s Congress, DPC; African Peoples Alliance, APA; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP; Mega Progressives Peoples Party, MPPP; United Peoples Congress, UPC; and Peoples Democratic Congress, PDC.
Government offices were hurriedly closed as tension hightened in the state capital following fears that the protest could turn violent. Yes, the rule of jungle is anathema in a democratic system of government.
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“This falls short of internationally accepted standards for credible election”.
