Five Killed As Violence Mars Bayelsa Election; Violence, Apathy Mar Bayelsa Election

Sylva and Dickson – Bayelsa Guber Poll frontrunners (Image source: PREMIUM TIMES)

•Four journalists escape death by the whiskers
•Card reader fails to recognize Jonathan again; rejects Dickson, wife, mother

The guns boomed yesterday in Bayelsa State as voters went to the polls to elect a new governor for the next four years. Five people laid dead by the time the guns went quiet.

Four journalists covering the election were, however, lucky, having escaped death by the whiskers the previous night during an attack by hoodlums at Odioma, in the Brass Local Government Area of the state.

The Nation report continues:

The two main parties in the election –Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) traded blames over the attacks.

The card reader again failed to recognize ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, at their first attempt in Otuoke.

There was a similar occurrence during the March presidential election which he lost.

Four of those feared dead were killed in Oporoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government area when a supposedly repentant militant led his men on an invasion of the community in the wee hours of the day apparently to disrupt the distribution of electoral materials.

Three of the invaders were reportedly killed as the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) tried to repel the thugs.

It was gathered that the spate of shootings forced many of the residents to stay indoor for fear of being hit in the cross fire.

“Several shots were fired to scare the people and pave way for the carting away of the election materials but the security operatives attached to the area were up to the task,” said one source.

About 45 suspects were subsequently arrested by security operatives.

Shooting was also reported in Brass and Nembe Bassambri.

In Nembe, a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Princess Ingo Iwowari, was reportedly attacked and stripped of all her belongings, including cash.

The Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Mr. Nasiru Oki, confirmed that arrests had been made and the situation brought under control.

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson who is seeking re-election on the platform of the PDP, said one of his supporters was killed while the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, said four persons were killed by PDP thugs.

Dickson condemned the violence perpetrated in parts of the state allegedly by the APC that resulted in the killing of some persons during the electoral process at the weekend.

Speaking to reporters  shortly after casting his vote at polling unit 5, ward 2 Oruerewari in Toru Orua, Sagbama local government area,  the governor commended the people of the state for showing determination to exercise their franchise despite intimidation and harassment by the APC.

He said: “I have received disturbing reports of premeditated attacks on my party supporters in Twon Brass, and attacks sponsored by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, Teco in Ekeremor town and another attacks on the PDP supporters in Oporoma resulting in the death of at least one person.

“I am not convinced with the steps that the federal controlled security agencies have taken in creating a conducive, safe and secure political environment for voting to take place”

Commenting on the epileptic performance of card readers in some polling units, he expressed unhappiness over the malfunctioning of the card reader as the machines was unable to capture the biometrics of his family.

“In spite of trials and assurances, you all saw that my fingerprints were not recognized, same for my wife and mother. So we have a serious problem as far as the so called smart card readers are concerned,” he said and hoped that “we don’t continue to portray ourselves as an unserious and fraudulent country, manipulating anything and everything.”

The APC rejected the accusation and said it was the PDP that imported over 5000 thugs into the state to perpetrate violence.

The party in a statement signed by the Director Media and Publicity, Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organization (SICO),Chief Nathan Egba, said “We have it on good authority that Governor Seriake Dickson imported over five thousand thugs from neighbouring states of Delta and Rivers state to cause violence in the election.

“The unknown faces now in most of the riverine communities of Bayelsa State have been terrorizing the people with gun shots to scare people away from the polling units.

“The wave of attack has confirmed our fears and alarm earlier raised that Governor Dickson was the one planning to cause violence.”

He named the affected communities as Oporoma in Southern Ijaw LGA, where the APC State Chairman, Tiwei Orunimighe, hails from, Nembe LGA, Brass LGA, home of the APC candidate, Sylva, and Ekeremor LGA, home of the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

“In Nembe-Ogbolomabiri yesterday (Friday), two APC members were shot until the Military Task Force ordered every resident to go into their houses and remain in-doors.

“In Sagbama town, headquarters of Sagbama Local Government Area, one APC supporter was attacked. Sagbama is the local government of Governor Dickson, who is the PDP candidate.

“In Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government, it took the Military force to repel the PDP thugs, who had planned to snatch the sensitive election materials. Four persons were reportedly killed in the gun battle”, he said.

He said that on Friday evening it took the intervention of the Joint Task Force (JTF) to repel the thugs and whisked the former Governor and his entourage away.

“Four journalists on the train of Chief Sylva were missing in Odioma for several hours after the gun shots. It took the efforts of the JTF and local vigilante group to rescue the journalists from their hiding late night of Friday.

The journalists were Mike Odiegwu of The Nation, Sam Oluwalana of The Guardian, Simon Utebor of Punch and the newspaper’s (Punch’s) photo-journalist, Sodiq, who came to Yenagoa from Lagos to cover the election.

“In Opolo town, the APC Ward 5 Campaign Organization, Utovie Egba, was cut with machete by PDP thugs, when they prevented APC polling agents from gaining access to the centre,” he said.

He said that a few hours before commencement of accreditation of voters for the 2015, the country home of the Minister of state for Agriculture and Director-General of the Sylva/Igiri campaign organization, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri came under attack by gunmen.

He said some thugs suspected to have been hired by the PDP from Delta state stormed the residence of the minister at Ekeremor town, Ekeremor Local Government Area in the morning.

He said the thugs overpowered security men deployed in Ekeremor and made their way into the minister’s compound causing mayhem with Senator Lokpobiri and others trapped inside the house.

He said: “While the security personnel attached to the minister were making attempt to restore the situation, the attack intensify as the PDP thugs said to be led by one Tolu Amatolo intensified attack and took over the entire community.

But the PDP said APC thugs also attacked its members during the election.

The party said the Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Inter-Party Matters, Mr. Austin Adigio, and three other members of the PDP in Okpoama and Eweama communities of Brass Local Government area of the state were macheted in a bloody attack ahead of the election.

Confirming the development, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Restoration Campaign Organisation (RCO), Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, said the attack in Okpoama and Eweama was one among the series of attacks unleashed by the APC against the members of the PDP across the state.

Obuebite said,”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 culprit 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 those circumstances, the outcome will be too disastrous for the federal government to handle. The federal government should be alive to the responsibility of neutron that nobody, no matter his position, abuses his office to support lawlessness.”

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and electoral materials for yesterday’s election were held hostage for some hours by rampaging thugs inside the headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Council at coastal Oporoma, amid heavy gunshots, before the hoodlums were later repelled by military men.

INEC immediately sent a gunboat to Oporoma to evacuate the electoral materials and its officials to Yenagoa, in order not to endanger the lives of the staff of the commission, before the soldiers eventually overpowered the daring thugs, who had to quickly beat a retreat, but thirty of the militants were arrested.

Electoral materials earlier snatched in Ward 6 of Dickson’s Sagbama LGA were later recovered by the police.

The card reader, again, failed to recognise ex-President Goodluck Jonathan at his Otuoke hometown in Ogbia LGA of the state.

The card reader also failed to recognize Dickson; his wife, Rachael, and his mother.

Accreditation for the election commenced early in Yenagoa, the state capital, but was delayed in other parts of the state on the strength of the violence by thugs.

The Bayelsa governor, who was accredited at 10:45 a.m. in his Unit 4, Ward 2 of his Toru-Orua hometown in Sagbama LGA, was very angry that the card reader did not recognize him, his wife and mother.

Sylva, APC governorship candidate was accredited at 11.41am along with his Wife, Alayingi Silva at Eseni Square, Unit 4, Ward 4 Okpoama-Brass.

Sylva condemned the attack on Chief Heineken Lokpobiri’s house at Oporoma by thugs.

He also picked holes in the many incidents of failed card reader, he, however, expressed optimism that having had a successful campaign he is certain of victory.

He said that the intelligence of JTF led to the arrest. He also revealed that there were infiltrations by thugs of opposition parties from Delta, and Rivers State.

“We got security reports of infiltrations by PDP thugs but it seemed to be ignored by security owing to maybe conflicting reports.

“Here there is peace everyone is allowed to exercise his franchise. You can see that there is peace here.

“My card was read well but while on the line I noticed many people were failed by the card reader. I want INEC to work on this technology, it gives me some worry, but in all it is going well.

“The other party didn’t want election from what we can see with the proliferation of thugs and violence. The Minister was attacked, he called me that his house has been attacked, we called for security reinforcement and he is safe now.”

It was observed at Units 1, 2 and 3 of Toru-Orua, that youths working for the PDP stormed the area and chased away APC’s supporters. At Dickson’s Unit 4, Ward 2 in Toru-Orua, an APC supporter was beaten to coma for challenging the hired thugs.

One of the observers met at Sagbama LGA, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, of the Women Arise, stated that the major problem in the area was the issue of card reader not recognizing voters’ thumbprint.

She said she observed that there was tension and anxiety in Sagbama LGA and other parts of the state, where she earlier visited with her team, while admonishing the electorate to continue to remain calm and be patient over the card reader challenge.

Meanwhile The Guardian reports:

• Gunmen Kill Four, Storm Minister’s Home
• INEC Cancels Poll In South Ijaw LGA
• Card Reader Disappoints Dickson, Jonathan
• Kogi Supplementary Polls Peaceful Amid Fair Turnout<strong

There was widespread violence in yesterday’s governorship election in Bayelsa State, with attacks on both leaders and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). The election also recorded low turnout of voters in many parts of the state.

In many polling units, accreditation did not begin on time due to late arrival of materials and fear of violence.

At Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, political thugs shot dead four people, yesterday morning.

Rampaging youths also invaded the country homes of acting PDP state chairman, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiffs, and Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri.

Dokubo-Spiffs, who was going for accreditation in his Twon-Brass community, was accosted by the youths and ordered to turn back. They later stormed his house, damaging a section of it.

In Ekeremor Town, Ekeremor Local Government Area, gunmen stormed Lokpobiri’s house and fired shots into the building.

At Ward 5, Opolo Epie, in Yenagoa, the state capital, hoodlums blocked the distribution centre and chased party agents away. In Agudama, in another part of the city, a middle-aged man with a fake identification tag was arrested by the police for parading himself as a polling agent.

In Opume Town, 10 persons attempted the hijack of voting materials but were repelled by the police. At Kolokuma/Opokuma, hoodlums attacked voters, and prevented them from accessing polling units.

Shooting was reported in the Ogbolomabiri area of Nembe Town in Nembe Local Government Area, and in Sagbama, political thugs attacked a party agent who suffered a broken head and eye injury.

The Director, Media and Publicity of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organization, Nathan Egba, alleged that in Oporoma, two ex-militants, known to PDP members, led armed thugs to the community and killed some APC members.

Supporters of Governor Seriake Dickson almost lynched an APC agent who was monitoring accreditation at the governor’s polling unit. Youths, chanting PDP slogans, broke bottles, grabbed nine-inch blocks and threatened to kill the agent, who luckily was whisked away.

Following widespread violence, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed conduct of the election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

Earlier, Friday evening, armed youths at Odioama village in Brass Local
Government Area had barred the APC flag bearer, Timipre Sylva, and his entourage from entering the community. Soldiers of the Joint Task Force stationed in the town, however, apprehended 17 of the youths. The police also nabbed a retired soldier and five others for being in possession of grenades and other weapons.

Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, alleged the killing of PDP supporters during the election.

“My party and I have called for peace. APC is not preparing for election but war. They have armed their thugs with police and military uniforms, and in some cases, are protected by security agents themselves. What is currently going on is mayhem,” he said.

He added that he received disturbing reports of premeditated and brutal attacks on his supporters in Brass. He also alleged that a certain Minister of State sponsored an attack at Ekeremor. He blamed the APC for another assault on his supporters at Oporoma, which, according to him, led to the death of one person.

“We are taking stock of all these and we hope and expect that appropriate legal actions will be taken against these notorious criminals who are unleashing terror and violence on fellow citizens, all in the name of politics. The security agents know who they are. The security agents arrived when the mayhem were carried out,” the governor said.

He added: “People have been attacked in Twon Brass, in two wards there. People who are supporters of our party are held hostage, as I speak to you. Supporters have been attacked and injured in Orwoma. A number of them have sustained life-threatening injuries. That terrible attack is going on, even as we speak. The state chairman of the party is hiding in police custody in Twon Brass. He cannot vote. The condition there is not one that promotes free and fair democratic exercise and franchise for our people.

“The APC and their leaders know that they stand no chance in a free and fair election. What is surprising is a seeming lack of resolve or lack of proactive reaction by the security forces. That is the situation under which Bayelsans are exercising their franchise in what is clearly a crucial election.”

Dickson, who, like former President Goodluck Jonathan, had difficulty getting accredited, said the use of smart card readers for election remains a major challenge to democratisation in the country.

The governor’s accreditation lasted several minutes at Ward 2 Unit 6 in Toru-Orua in Sagbama Local Government Area, due to failure of the reader to recognise his fingerprint, and that of his wife and mother.

“The smart card machine is a challenge to democracy in this country. I hope it doesn’t continue to portray us as a fraudulent and unserious country, manipulating everything and anything,” he said.

He regretted the high failure rate of card readers, saying reports of violence unleashed by APC thugs with the help of soldiers shooting sporadically was responsible for the low voter turnout in many areas, especially Okpoama, Eweama, Twon Brass and Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw LGA.

At his Otueke hometown, four card readers couldn’t recognise Jonathan’s fingerprint and that of his wife, Patience, until after a fifth intervention.

Timipre Sylva was accredited alongside his wife, Alayingi, at the Dakuraku Open Space Centre at his Opuama hometown at 11.40 am.

After the process, he complained to journalists about the inability of some of his supporters to be accredited, as a result of card reader malfunction.

He accused the PDP of importing thugs from Rivers and Delta States to disrupt the election and alleged that a top official of the state’s sanitation agency moved around the state capital with armed men. He disclosed that he notified the state Commissioner of Police, Sanusi Oki, on the development and was informed that the situation had been contained.

“I am satisfied with the accreditation and other processes here. Things are peaceful and the reader correctly processed my card. However, I am worried about those whose cards couldn’t be processed. I am also worried about the spate of violence being perpetrated by the PDP, all over the state.

“The home of the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development was attacked by some people who shot into his house. He called me on the phone and I could hear several shots being fired in the background,” Sylva said.

The former governor expressed optimism on the outcome of the election, saying: “Regardless of the antics of the PDP, I am sure of victory. We have campaigned all over the state. We are sure of overwhelming support throughout the state.”

At Okpoama and Twon Brass, people believed to be supporters of the PDP, including the Special Adviser to Governor Dickson, Mr. Austin Adigio, were attacked with machete and other dangerous weapons.

Speaking to The Guardian on phone, Adigio said they had to be evacuated from the community to an unnamed hospital in the capital, adding that all known supporters of PDP in Brass local council were warned to relocate or face assault.

As at 3.45 pm when The Guardian visited Amassoma, in the Ijaw South local Government Council, distraught voters with long faces were seen waiting for INEC materials and officials to arrive.

One youth corps member detailed to the area said INEC could not bring materials due to the insufficient number of security personnel, adding that the situation was compounded by speculations that some gun-wielding militants had planned to hijack electoral materials.

One Mrs. Ruth Bina Egabo, however, remarked that PDP supporters who wanted to hijack materials were surprised at the number of APC faithful in the area and that the determination of APC supporters to resist planned rigging forced the thugs to start shooting into the air, causing panic.
According to her, the plot to hijack the materials was because Amassoma is made up of three wards and has a large number of voters in the state.