It’s Rape Of Democracy, Says Sylva As INEC Stops Poll; Dickson, Sylva Divided Over Southern Ijaw Poll’s Cancellation

Bayelsa poll Results

Local Govt                     APC               PDP

Brass                            21, 755           6,516

Sagbama                      5,382            28,934

Yenagoa                       14,563          24,258

Kolokuma/ Opokuma     6,896             7,619

Ekeremor                       7,918          14,604

Ogbia                             9,106          13,051

Nembe                           6,974          10,768 

•Election cancelled in Southern Ijaw Local Govt

Another electoral logjam surfaced yesterday — courtesy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which failed to conclude a governorship election. Just as it did in Kogi State last month, the agency threw a spanner in the works, declaring Saturday’s election in Bayelsa State inconclusive.

The Nation report continues:

These are the two governorship elections so far held under the chairmanship of Prof. Mahmud Yakubu as INEC chairman.

INEC cancelled the rescheduled poll in Southern Ijaw Local Government Council, one of the eight local governments in the state.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Baritor Kpagir said the cancellation was endorsed by the national headquarters.

Kpagir said the election was cancelled, following reports that the poll in Southern Ijaw was substantially marred by violence, ballot box snatching, intimidation and other irregularities.

The REC, at the state collation centre located inside the multipurpose hall of the secretariat of Yenagoa Local Government, noted that in the interest of international compliance with best practice, the cancellation of the election became necessary.

Kpagir indicated that a new date for the election would be chosen and communicated to all the stakeholders.

The Chief Retuning Officer, Prof. Zena Akpogu, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar in Cross River State, maintained that he could not declare any of the candidates the winner of the poll, without the results from Southern Ijaw Local Government.

The mainly-riverine Southern Ijaw is the biggest council in the state. It has over 120,000 voting strength, which would decide the eventual winner of the election between Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) Seriake Dickson and the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) Chief Timipre Sylva.

The governorship election took place on Saturday in Yenagoa, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Sagbama, Brass, Ekeremor, Ogbia and Nembe Councils. The poll in Southern Ijaw council was rescheduled for Sunday also as a result of violence and killings.

In the collated results from the seven local governments as announced by the Returning Officer, the PDP leads with 33,154 votes. The PDP polled 105,748 votes as against APC’s 72,594 votes.

Prior to the cancellation of the election in Southern Ijaw, some PDP women and youths, who wore black dresses and led by the party’s Bayelsa Women Leader Faith Opuene, protested near the collation centre, expressing displeasure over the poll in Southern Ijaw.

Barely 30 minutes after the protest, despite the police ban on demonstrations, some militants from Southern Ijaw escorted two Hilux vans, one of them with Bayelsa Government House registration number: BYGH145, into the collation centre.

The two vehicles were loaded with uncounted ballot materials, without any security escort or INEC official.

The militants, who were singing war songs, as they alighted from the Hilux vans, claimed that they escaped from Southern Ijaw with the results of three units of Amassoma in the council area, in view of the violence, but the electoral materials were not accepted by the INEC officials at the collation centre.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Training and Development, Hashimu Argungu, told the militants to give peace a chance, assuring them that INEC would address their complaints.

The results are: Brass Local Government PDP 21,755 votes, APC 6,516 votes.

Sagbama PDP: 24, 258, APC 5, 382.  Yenagoa, PDP 24,258, APC 14, 563

Kolokuma/Opokuma PDP 7,619 votes, APC 6,896.

Ekeremor PDP 14,602, APC 7,918 votes.

For the results announced yesterday: Ogbia PDP 13,051, APC 9,106 and Nembe PDP 10,768 APC 6,974 votes.

From the seven local government areas, PDP polled 105,748 votes. APC had 72,594 votes, with a difference of 33,154 votes.

The police warned against plans by some people to protest in Yenagoa, the state capital.

A statement by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Hashimu Argungu, banned all forms of procession, rally or demonstration.

The statement was circulated at INEC’s collation centre in Yenagoa, where the results of the governorship election in the state were being announced.

It was gathered that the PDP had already mobilized people to protest against the rescheduled election that was held in Southern Ijaw.

Argungu said the police were informed about plans by some “disgruntled elements” to carry out illegal rallies and demonstrations in the state.

The DIG said: “This form of conduct will jeopardize the ongoing electoral process. Therefore, the command warns all intending perpetrators to desist from such acts, as it will deal decisively with any person or group of persons who wish to engage in any conduct that will compromise the existing peaceful atmosphere.

“Members of the public are advised to go about their normal businesses, as security agencies are poised to guarantee the safety of lives and property.”

Earlier, Dickson was live on the state-owned Radio Bayelsa, protesting the electoral process, at the time he was leading with over 28,000 votes.

Dickson asked residents to hit the streets at 2p.m. for a rally to protest what was happening at the collation centre and he vowed to lead the protest.

The Bayelsa governor, who fielded questions from listeners, said: “There will be a rally to resist what is happening now. It is clear to me that security services have become an army of occupation.”

Security was strengthened in the state capital, with four Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) deployed round the state collation centre.

Detachment of anti-bomb squad, riot policemen and soldiers took over some strategic areas in Yenagoa, to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

Vanguard reports that Governor Seriake Dickson and Chief Timipre Sylva were on parallel paths Monday over the INEC’s cancellation of results from Southern Ijaw, the home council of deceased Governor General of Ijaw Nation and first civilian governor of the state, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha. While Dickson hailed the move, Sylva kicked, saying that the REC has no power to do so.

According to Sylva, the power to cancel a duly held election rest with the State Returning Officer and not the REC and as such the votes should be counted.

However, Dickson hailed the cancellation of the rescheduled election in the council area saying if the commission had heeded to his advice, it would have saved the nation from the avoidable waste of public funds.

He pointed out that the decision to hold the election on Sunday by INEC was ill advised, taking into consideration the security situation and peculiar nature of the area.

The National leadership of the PDP said yesterday that the courageous move put in place by the people of Bayelsa to curtail planned moves by the APC to rig the election in Southern Ijaw led to the cancellation of the results in the area.

In a statement by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the PDP while hailing the zeal and the bravery nature of the people, stressed that but for the bravery of Bayelsans in standing up for their votes against what the party termed, the hordes of harassments by the military and other security forces working for the APC, their will as a people would have been completely subverted in the election.