About 663,639 voters in Bayelsa State will today head to the 1,939 polling units of the 105 wards in the eight local government areas of the state to elect the man who will govern them for the next four years.
Already, political observers in the state have predicted a very tight race with the leading contenders identified as the former governor of the state and flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva; the incumbent Governor and flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Seriake Dickson; the flagbearer of the Progressive Democratic Movement (PDM) Moses Siasia and the flagbearer of the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC), Barr. Henry Akpeli.
Others are Chief Ken Gbaligha Gbalikumo (ACPN), Chief Osain Dumome (ADC), Abbey Daniel (APA), Deacon Christopher Enai (APGA), Eneyi Gideon Rowland Zidougha (CPP), Waritimi Abudou Pius (DPP), Newline Yadugagha (ID), Suoyo Nathan (KOWA), Ogoriba Timidemo Kiaser (LP), Prince Tari (MPPP),Watama Inko, Ere Hendrix Obrabomo (PDC), Alexandra Peretu (PPA), Enu Otonye (PPN), Joy Prince Oniekpe (SDP) and William Berezi (UPP).
In the same vein, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court in Abuja Friday cleared the way for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct today’s supplementary governorship election in Kogi State.
Justice Kolawole on Friday in a judgment in five consolidated suits filed by Governor Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and James Faleke, Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the inconclusive election, struck out all the five suits initiated to stop the supplementary election.
While Wada and Faleke urged the court to declare them winners following the death of the APC governorship flagbearer, the late Prince Abubakar Audu, shortly after the November 21 poll, other plaintiffs in consolidated suits, Emmanuel Idakwo, John Jacob Usman and Hon. Raphael Igbokwe in their various suits, asked the court to compel the electoral body to conduct fresh election in the state.
The judge said from the processes filed by the plaintiffs, there was no dispute in the fact that the November 21 governorship election held in the sate was substantially conducted and results announced when the candidate of the APC tragically died.
Justice Kolawole also held that it was not also in dispute that the deceased APC candidate was leading by over 41,000 votes when he passed away.
Moreover, there was no dispute in the fact that Wada scored second highest votes and Faleke was having a joint ticket with Audu and were coasting home to victory.
From the undisputed facts, he held that the Kogi governorship election had been substantially conducted by INEC and that by that, the only appropriate place for aggrieved contestants in that election is the State Governorship Election Tribunal to ventilate their anger.
He said it would amount to an exercise in futility for the court to go into the merits of the matter when the undisputed facts supplied to the court through the processes filed have proven beyond doubt that the suit was a post-primary election which can only be adjudicated upon by a tribunal that will be set up by the appeal Court President in line with section 182 of the Constitution.
Justice Kolawole consequently struck out the suits.
“Let me state here that the hands of the court are not tied but that the court cannot go into the merits of the five suits because of the glaring facts that this court has no jurisdiction.”
It will be recalled that Faleke had in separate suits approached the court seeking to declare him winner of the November 21 governorship election.
Wada and his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had filed an application before the court praying it to declare Wada as the winner of the November 21 elections, having scored the second highest votes after the deceased candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Abubakar Audu.
Faleke on his own asked the court to declare him winner of the poll on ground that he is having a joint ticket with the late Audu.
Three other plaintiffs Johnson Usman, Emmanuel Daikwo and Emmanuel Igbokwe had also in separate suits asked the court to conduct a fresh governorship election in the state.
The court had on Tuesday consolidated all the four suits, but added the one filed by Faleke Thursday.
There have been reports of violent protests in the state since the November 21 election was declared inconclusive.
Meanwhile, in Bayelsa State six out of the 20 political parties have withdrawn from the governorship race and endorsed Chief Timipre Sylva for the election.
Addressing a news conference in Yenagoa Friday, the State Chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Prince Silas Ikimi, said they were confident that Chief Sylva would bring the needed change to the state. The other parties are ACD, AD, HDP, LP and UDP.
The mood of the election is heightened by the allegations and counter-allegations by the leading political parties, the PDP and APC, on the purported plans to undermine the conduct and outcome of the election in the state.
The state secretariat of INEC has however been placed under tight security as well as party agents and other staff of the Commission supervising the distribution of materials to ad-hoc staffs.
The combined team of security agencies including the Joint Military Task Force and the men of the Nigerian Police led by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ashimu Arugungu have declared readiness for the polls.
A total of nine gun boats including helicopter patrol teams have been deployed to the waterways. According to JTF, the waterways of Brass, Southern Ijaw and Ekekremor local government areas of the state will be locked down.
Due to the anticipated violent conduct of the elections in the coastal council areas, five gunboats have been deployed to entry points of Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states.
The JTF said in a statement that a restriction has been placed on all movements along the creeks and waterways of the state.
Four suspected members of a political party were arrested along the waterways of Ekeremor area of the state with grenades and other firearms. They have been detained at the State Police Headquarters.
The report was confirmed by the flagbearer of the APC, Chief Timipre Sylva in a chat with radio stations before the midnight deadline of campaigns on Thursday.
At interactive session organised by the Integrated Committee on Election Security, the security operations for the elections have been divided into three senatorial zones and they will be headed by the commissioner of Police.
An officer of the rank of the Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) will head the Local Government and wards will be headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
However, the Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Inter-Party Matters Austin Adigio and three other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Okpoama and Eweama communities of Brass Local Government were Friday macheted in a bloody attack ahead of the election.
Adigio, who served as Personal Assistant to Chief Timipre Sylva and recently decamped to join Hon. Seriake Dickson’s administration, was attacked by several armed youths believed to be members of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the area were attacked with machets by suspected supporters of APC. The source claimed the attackers warned those who are not members of APC to leave the community and forget the election.
Confirming the development, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Restoration Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Jonathan Obuebite, said the attack in Okpoama and Eweama is one among the series of attacks unleashed by the APC against the members of the PDP across the state.
According to Obuebite, “We condemned the attacks on our members in Eweama and Okpoama communities. We call on relevant security agencies to investigate the incident and bring the culprits to book. Nobody has the monopoly of violence. If the APC-led Federal Government fails to put a stop to this wanton display of federal might and sheer brigandage and violence being unleashed on us by APC in Bayelsa State, we will be helpless if our members resort to defending themselves.
“And in such circumstances, the outcome will be too disastrous for the federal government to handle. The Federal Government should be alive to the responsibility of neutrality so that nobody, no matter his position, abuses his office to support lawlessness.”
Meanwhile business activities in the Bayelsa State capital has been shut down with banks and other business outlets terminating operation at midday on Friday to allow customers to travel to internal communities for the elections.
-Leadership