Today is Bayelsa Supplementary Election: PDP accuses APC of plotting to win at all cost

Okooo.....who go win..?Barely 24 hours to the Bayelsa State supplementary governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of plotting to rig the poll in Southern Ijaw local Government Area of the state.

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PDP on Friday while stating that the election re-run was a mere formality, accused the APC of working in partnership with the military, police and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which it said had a pre-written result even before the elections were conducted.
In a statement by the PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, claimed it had intelligence report that the election had been programmed to favour the APC.
Warning that dire consequences might await the country’s democracy should APC forcefully take the states known to be PDP state, Secondus said, “Southern Ijaw is the home local government of former governor of the state, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha and a known Ijaw leader. The state is politically divided into Nembe, Ogbia and Southern Ijaw, that is the home LGA of ijaws where the governor, Siarake Dickson is from.
“This is the strongest home base of the PDP. PDP has been winning elections in this core Ijaw LGA because it is the ancestral home of all Ijaws where the former governor and Ijaw leader DSP Alamiseigha and Dickson hails from.
“Intelligence report at our disposal shows that the election is just a mere formality as results have been written with INEC standing as the main culprit.
“The Secretary to the government of Federation, the Minister of Defence and Police have directed INEC to write the results in favour of APC. There is the use of Police and military personnel to intimidate voters and also scare them away as results are already written as directed.”
While alleging that winning the state governorship election was part of APC plot to capture the South-south, he said, “All ministers and government officials from the zone have been directed to ensure that Bayelsa is delivered to APC at all cost.”
Secondus also warned that the quest of winning at all cost was responsible for the collapse of the Second Republic.

All is set for the supplementary election in Southern Ijaw Local Government and 102 polling units across six other local government areas of Bayelsa State scheduled for today.

Election was cancelled in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area on December 7, 2015 as a result of violence, ballot box snatching and stuffing, harassment and abduction of electoral officials.

The local government has a total of 120, 827 registered voters, 425 polling units and five voting points.

Thirty-eight thousand registered voters in 102 polling units across six local governments of Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe, Sagbama, Yenagoa and Ogbia will also participate in the supplementary poll to conclude the Bayelsa State governorship election earlier scheduled for Saturday, December 5, 2015.

The Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Seriake Dickson, is leading a former governor of the state, who is also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Timipre Sylva, in the already conducted election.

The two leading candidates will be fighting to have upper hand over the 158,827 votes expected from today’s rerun.

Before now, Dickson was leading with 81,929 votes while Sylva had 56,514 votes.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the Benue South Senatorial district rerun for Saturday, February 13.

Benue South Senatorial District is made up of nine local government areas, 102 registration areas, 1,016 polling units and a total of 1,174 voting points.

Former Senate President, David Mark, was declared winner of the election in the senatorial district by INEC. His election was nullified by the Court of Appeal which ordered a rerun of the election that brought him into office.

The commission said in a bulletin in Abuja on Friday that it would deploy 4, 931 workers to conduct the election.

The breakdown of workers to be deployed is as follows: 102 supervising presiding officers; 1,016 presiding officers; and 3,522 assistant presiding officers (I, II, III).

Others are 1,174 assistant presiding officers and 235 reserve assistant presiding officers.