ITRealms:
The Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State has reacted to the decision by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the rescheduled
election in Southern Ijaw LGA, describing it as a vindication of its
earlier position that conducting the said election as INEC did was a wrong
decision on account of security concerns in the area.
The PDP in a statement issued on
Monday night by the Director of Publicity of the Restoration
Campaign Organisation, Jonathan Obuebite, said before the
election was conducted it had informed INEC and security agencies that the
whole of Southern Ijaw had been taken over by thugs.
The takeover, the party said, was
with the support of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) who, he
claimed, were receiving direct instruction from Abuja to ensure that the
All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Timipre Sylva was declared winner,
adding "our advice was ignored."
Obuebite stated that the PDP
was for a free, fair and credible election and as such election in
Southern Ijaw must be conducted in an atmosphere that could
guarantee the participation of the people without let or hindrance and
ensure its credibility.
According to him, as at 4pm on
Sunday, election materials were still being distributed and wondered how
such process could lead to a transparent election, adding that it was an
orchestrated plan to rig the election as voting went on in the dark.
Obuebite said the
situation also afforded political thugs to infiltrate the polling units
snatching ballot boxes, intimidating voters under the supervision of the
military amidst general apathy.
The PDP accused INEC, the police and
army of colluding with the APC to rig the election, stressing that all that
happened in Southern Ijaw last Sunday was co-ordinated by the Secretary
to the Government of the Federation
(SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal, with the aim
of deflating the majority votes of Governor Dickson and
then announce APC flag bearer, Timipre Sylva, as the winner.
Dickson was announced by INEC to
have won 7 of the 8 LGs in the state with a margin of 33.000 and has thus
fulfilled constitutional requirement of 2/3 spread and popular votes but
without Southern Ijaw as the only LG remaining.
Obuebite further said that in a
manner to perfect the rigging plan, the state
commissioner of police and head of the Directorate of State Security (DSS
) were randomly changed ahead of the election.
He said, "Before now, we
know that the SGF was coordinating the whole rigging plan and we
alerted President MuhammaduBuhari and the public. They know
they cannot win without rigging through violence and the whole world
have seen what happened on Sunday. It was a rape of democracy. There
was a premeditated effort on a multiple level of conspiracy to rig
this election, involving INEC, army and the police.
"It is true that a top
army officer, one major Sanni, gave election materials
to APC members at three polling units and zoomed off with his
team, throwing the whole place into turmoil to allow APC have advantage.
Of course, APC leaders have all along been saying it everywhere
that they will to use federal might and they tried but failed."
The PDP called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the rerun election in
Southern Ijaw is conducted under a violence-free atmosphere whenever
it is rescheduled, stating that his integrity as well known was being damaged
by those it said were close to him.
“Except we have a
truly secured environment, the situation will continue to be like that and
that will not only damage PresidentBuhari’s image locally and
internationally but puts democracy and the people at risk", the party
said.
Obuebite justified the
cancellation thus: “In a situation where so many people had even
ran away from home on account of insecurity having been traumatized the previous
day and others still seeing a repeat scourge of violence, it ran against
good conscience and judgement to say you are conducting election
in that kind of atmosphere thereby disenfranchising a lot of people in a
crucial election. This is against the spirit and letters of democracy and we
accordingly condemn this charade in totality.
"What the people want is a
free, fair and credible election and in this respect, the process must be above
board. They had a hidden agenda but the good people of Bayelsa State
will continue to resist such evil tendency”.
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