Bayelsa Election

Southern Ijaw votes to decide winner as PDP alleges rigging plot
■We’ll win, boasts APC
■Ex-militants in shooting spree, scare away voters -5

THE RESULT

LGA PDP APC
1. Yenagua 24,256. 14,563
2. Kolokuma 7,619 6,896
3. Sagbamu 28,934 5,382
4. Brass 6,516 21,755
5. Ekeremor 14,602 7,918

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa & Charles Adegbite

Preliminary results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday showed that Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is leading in the four of the five Local Government Areas (LGAs). The PDP scored 81,929 votes while the All Progressives Congress (APC) has 56,514.

This is even as Dickson’s opponent, Chief Timipre Sylva of the APC alleged rigging. Bayelsa has eight LGAs. The poll was held last Saturday.
The rescheduled election was to hold in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area but a shoot-out between security agents and ex-militants stopped the exercise as voters scampered for their safety.

Also, Governor Dickson, had in a broadcast yesterday urged Bayelsians to resist any alleged rigging plot by the APC even as he raised a commission of enquiry to probe the atrocities perpetrated by government officials.
Meanwhile, the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation has accused Governor Dickson of violating electoral laws by visiting Southern Ijaw Local Government Area to protest against the rescheduled election.
The organization which said Dickson also visited the Yenagoa Collation Centre on Saturday said the governor had led a large entourage to Oporoma, headquarters of the local government.

The Director of Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba, said Governor Dickson is from Sagbama Local Government Area and has no basis going to monitor the conduct of an election in another area on an election day in line with the electoral guidelines.
“This is clearly an act of desperation by the governor, in company of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Kombowei Benson, who is from the LGA, they reportedly met with INEC officials on ground and told them not to go ahead with the poll. The INEC officials had reportedly told the governor that he had no powers to stop the election,” he said.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Hassimu Argungu, said the police are investigating claims of Dicksion allegedly breaching the electoral law by going to Oporoma and visiting INEC Yenagoa Collation Centre.

Also, the PDP has sent a protest letter to INEC over the rescheduled election in Southern Ijaw. The state chairman, Chief Serena Dokubo- Spiff, who read the protest letter to newsmen, said the party wants to register its concern over the decision to conduct the election amid security concerns.

According to him, the concern stems from the fact tha the violence perpetrated by suspected thugs has led to the loss of five lives including a policeman.

He said the PDP believes that adequate security should be put in place before INEC would conduct the election in the area.
The letter reads in part, “From information, the majority of the indigenes of Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw and some other communities are still taking refuge in the forest and swamps as a result of heavy gunfire. The security situation has been confirmed to be even worse in the creeks and other communities in the area. The situation is so tense with guns shots heard in parts of Oporoma and other major communities in the local government area making it clearly impossible for any peaceful election to hold.

“It is therefore, our position that adequate arrangements be put in place within the next couple of days to ensure security for votes, INEC, adhoc staff, including youth corpers and materials because lives have already been lost. It is crucial to take steps to ensure that more lives are not lost. It is hoped that INEC the security agencies and other stakeholders take genuine fear into consideration so that the people of Southern Ijaw can freely exercise their civic responsibility,” he said.

In a related development, ex-militants have taken over Amassoma community in Southern Ijaw LGA during the rescheduled governorship election yesterday.

INEC and the Police had insisted that the election would go on despite protests by the PDP and Governor Dickson.
The voters were set for voting when the ex-militant leaders stormed the polling units and took away the electoral materials.