The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmud Yakubu, has launched a probe into the roles of the Bayelsa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Baritoh Kpagih and other officials of the commission in the electoral crises that led to the inconclusive December 5 governorship poll in the state.
As part of its investigation, INEC has ordered the collation officers and returning officers in Bayelsa’s eight local government areas, particularly those involved in the disputed rescheduled governorship election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area to submit their reports to the commission within 24 hours.
INEC will be investigating cases of compromise and alleged acceptance of gratification from some political parties to frustrate the smooth conduct of the election.
It was also gathered that the directive may not be unconnected with the petition submitted by All Progressives Congress (APC) to the commission, alleging bias, bribery and corruption against some officials of the state office of INEC and the illegality of the cancellation of the poll in the Southern Ijaw Local Government area of the state.
The flagbearer of APC, Chief Timipre Sylva, while reacting to the announcement by INEC on the cancellation of the election in Southern Ijaw Local Government area, alleged that the processes leading the cancellation of the contentious poll in Southern Ijaw was marred with financial inducements and manipulations by officials of INEC by former president Goodluck Jonathan.
We’re still consulting -INEC
Three days after the poll was declared inconclusive, INEC is yet to fix a date for the supplementary election in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
INEC’s Director, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said the commission was still consulting over the matter.
Police avert violent clash between APC, PDP supporters
Police officers have averted a near bloody clash between supporters of APC and PDP over protests against the decision by INEC to cancel the disputed governorship poll in Southern Ijaw LGA.
The anti-INEC protest, which was staged by hundreds of supporters of APC from the Southern Ijaw area of the State, paralyzed most activities in the state capital and called on the national leadership of INEC to investigate the reasons offered for the cancellation and declare the cancellation illegal.
According to one of the Protesters, Comrade Preye Apreala, the decision by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Baritor Kpagih, to cancel the election in Southern Ijaw local government area was criminal and a violation of the electoral rights of the over 120,000 voters that participated in the poll in spite of threats.
The protesters, made up of scores of persons with disabilities and armed with placards with inscriptions such as “let the Southern Ijaw vote count”, “Buhari must save APC in Bayelsa”, ”The cancellation of was induced! Kpagih must face the law!”, move from the APC secretariat along the Sani Abacha Expressway and along the popular Imgbi Road.
But the protest, which was peaceful, nearly turned bloody following the decision of suspected PDP youths to taunt the protesters with abusive and derogatory words. But armed Police intervened and the protest returned to normal.
Reacting to the protest, the Director of Publicity of the Restoration Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Jonathan Obuebite described the protesters as “thugs” and “hoodlums,” calling on the State Commissioner of Police and heads of other security agencies to take urgent steps to check the protest by APC members.
Obuebite, in a statement in Yenagoa Wednesday, called on Bayelsans, particularly business/shop owners to beware of these protests, as the protesters have specific instructions to unleash wanton violence and mayhem on the streets of Yenagoa, under the guise of asking INEC to make haste to declare their candidate as the winner of the December 5 governorship election.
According to Obuebite, ”We urge the people of the state to take utmost precaution to steer clear of the protesters and guard against any form of molestation, pointing out that, the aim of the protest is to create as much violence and disrupt the peace of the State to compel the APC-led Federal Government to declare a state-of-emergency in the State, thereby making it impossible for INEC to hold the rescheduled election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and create a stalemate until such a time that His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson’s term in office would have expired.
“We are calling on Bayelsans, particularly business/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, under the guise of asking INEC to make haste to declare their candidate as the winner of the December 5 governorship election. As the protest is bound to get violent, Bayelsans are advised to take utmost precaution to steer clear of the protesters and guard against any form of molestation.”
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. Henry Seriake Dickson, the winner of the December 5 governorship election, “having won the election in 6 out of the 7, where elections have been held and the results declared so far.
“We are aware that the aim of the protest is to create as much violence and disrupt the peace of the State to compel the APC-led Federal Government to declare a state-of-emergency in the State, thereby making it impossible for INEC to reschedule the election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, which will necessitate a stalemate until such a time that His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson’s term in office would have expired.
14 political parties support INEC over cancellation of disputed governorship election in Southern Ijaw LGA
Fourteen political parties involved in the inconclusive governorship election in Bayelsa State have announced that they support the decision by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the disputed election in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
According to the parties, the reasons offered by INEC for the cancellation of the disputed governorship election in Southern Ijaw area followed due process and called on leading political parties to accept the decision of the electorate in the elections conducted in the seven other local governments so far declared by INEC.
The parties, represented at the meeting in Yenagoa by their State Chairmen, included: Prince Oniekpe, Social Democratic Party (SDP); Golden Agagaowei, Kowa Party (KP); Gabriel Tukuwei, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Prince Elemah (Independent Democrat (ID); Alex Peretu, Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA); Enu Otonye, Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN); David Amabebe, Democratic People’s Congress (DPC), Daniel Abbey, African People’s Alliance (APA); Chief Inko Namatebe, New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Isaac Eze, Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP); Williams Berezi, United Peoples Party (UPP) and Hendrix Obranghono Ere, Peoples Democratic Congress (PDC).
In an 11-point resolution issued at the end of a study of collated reports from Unit and Local Government agents on the conduct of the election, the parties declared that the decision of INEC was in order and commended the people of Southern Ijaw local government to protest against the flagrant violation of justice and open abuse. “We totally condemn in strong terms the electoral fraud that characterized the exercise in Southern Ijaw Local Government.
“We strongly condemn the situation where materials were distributed late in the afternoon, accreditation done in the evening and voting done in the night in Southern Ijaw local Government area which outrightly negates all democratic norms. That we condemn and vehemently oppose the use of thugs, militants, military personnel and any other means to intimidate, oppress, hijack and steal INEC electoral materials for the purpose of election.”
On the anticipated re-scheduled election in the Southern Ijaw area, the parties warned that the people of the state and participating political parties will not accept any attempt by any political party to manipulate, hijack and intimidate the electorate, party agent and INEC from exercising their franchise or carrying out their legitimate functions during the election.
-Leadership