By Amos Odeh ,Yenagoa.
For those who think that they would engage in ballot box snatching, thuggery and violence to win in the rescheduled elections on February 22 and March 9 2019 they should have a rethink as Nigerians are becoming wiser and more enlightened by the day, as those who perpetrate electoral violence don’t have their children in Nigeria and also ballot snatching is no longer in trend.
A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Hon. Festus Akpowei Kemelayefa who is also the Chairman of the Management Committee of Swali Ultra Modern Market had stated while speaking of the postponement of the last Saturday elections.
According to him, the postponement was frustrating , devastating, worrisome and unexpected and “whether the Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC ) postponed the elections twenty times any time any day the election was fixed, the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) will coast home to victory in the presidential and National Assembly elections in all the eight local government Area of Bayelsa State.”
” PDP campaigned in all the communities and the legacy projects of the Restoration Government under Governor Seriake Dickson, such as the three Senatorial District roads, the International Airport, the Strides in Education, Hospital are verifiable evidence that will convince the electorate to vote only the PDP to consolidate on the foundation laid, but the All Progressive Congress ( APC ) did not campaign and had nothing to show, rather its chieftains and leaders have turned ‘diaspora politicians’ in Abuja who sneaked in and sneaked out of Yenagoa.”
He stated that ballot box snatching and hijacking of materials will never be criteria for winning an election in Bayelsa state in 2019.
“Bayelsa state is dominated by PDP as all other parties do not have structures on ground, but they only exist on face books , come Saturday PDP will win all the elections.” he said.
” We have also sensitized our party members against hijacking of election materials , because any ballot box snatched will declare such units votes as void and it’s only units where genuine elections were held that would be accepted.”
“They should understand that ballot box snatching and use of thuggery is no longer in vogue as Bayelsans have become wiser and question why politicians used innocent youths to commit electoral violence while they send their children to neighboring countries and abroad during elections.”
“Majority of the children of opposition party have been sent abroad , they intend to use gullible and innocent youths as thugs and ballot box snatchers, their antics will fail them this time around, they should brace up to free, fair and credible elections devoid of rigging, manipulation and allow electorate to vote according to their conscience, ” he said.
He said during the 2015 elections he was the PDP Ward agent at Ekeremor and the election was characterized by violence and hijacking of electoral materials unknown to them the materials hijacked were not counted and he expect APC to learn from that mistake.
He advised Bayelsans to maintain the dominance of the PDP as the only party that will continue to exist in the state .
” Nigeria operates multi party system and it is not only PDP and APC , some other parties are not practical , they only campaigned on face books and they are contesting to bargain for appointments. Bayelsa state is a PDP state and it will remain so forever ,” he said .
