As Bayelsans file out to vote in the first most competitive governorship election since the creation of the state, last minute factors that might swing the votes in favour of any of the top two contenders, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) or his main rival, former governor Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress( APC) have been identified. They include but not limited to the following:
Money
Bayelsans like any other Nigerian are not insulated from money politics. In fact, with more than 70 per cent of its citizens in the rural areas living in abject poverty, money has played a major role in the elections in Bayelsa since 1999 when the PDP dominated the politics through funds provided from government coffers and money bags. This governorship election would not be different, the main point, however, is that the PDP would find its match in the APC which not only controls the government at the centre but also has money bags in equal measure.
In the past few weeks, the PDP has been making allegations over moves by the Buhari-led Federal Government to fund the APC governorship campaigns using first the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and later the Federal Government Amnesty Office. The Director of Publicity of the Bayelsa Restoration Campaign Organisation (BYRCO), Hon Jonathan Obuebite said the Federal Government intends to fund the elections with N3.1billion out of which it said N2 billion in fake dollar notes have already been pumped into circulation.
The APC has denied the allegation and advised the PDP to leave mischief and concentrate on winning the election by selling its programmes to Bayelsans who are the ones to vote for the candidate of their choice. The party’s Director of Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba said the APC is not like the PDP that corrupts national institutions all in its bid to win the election.
According to Egba, it is the PDP in the guise of organising programmes for rural women using the office of the governor’s wife that has been buying up Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in Bayelsa rural communities with a special fund budgeted for the purpose.
Investigations revealed that the two candidates have made huge cash available which would be deployed for the elections. Surprisingly, Dickson, who is famed for his tightfistedness on government funds, has provided cash to prosecute the elections. Funds are being moved for mobilization and logistics on election day which would be handled by unit coordinators to sway the voting pattern.
The APC, checks also revealed, has made available huge funds which it would deploy to match the spending spree of the PDP. The party is said to be confident of winning the election because money which PDP has been using in the past to win elections would not come into play as the party would also deploy its foot soldiers to neutralise PDP’s cash at polling units.
Speed boats
Bayelsa State is 80 per cent water and made up of several coastal communities. This has posed a lot of challenges to opposition parties since 1999 as they have been hampered with the huge logistics involved by not being able to campaign to the areas and unable to get boats to mobilize party members and supporters to their various communities where they register. However, in today’s governorship election, both the PDP and the APC are fully prepared for the election as they have speed boats in their fleet to transport party members and supporters to their various polling units.
Investigations revealed that in Ekeremor, the APC is ready with over 35 speed boats for the elections while in Southern Ijaw, the party has 30 while the PDP also has 30. Obuebite alleged that the APC in a bid to frustrate the movement of PDP supporters for the election has vandalized 20 speed boats belonging to the PDP at the Yenagoa waterside.
According to Obuebite, many of the boats were found floating on the River with their engines carted away allegedly under the instructions of the APC state chairman, Tiwei Timipa Orunimighe. In Ogbia, both APC and PDP are ready with 30 and 35 boats, respectively. In Brass, APC has 40 speed boats while the PDP has 35.
Any of the parties that succeed in mobilizing with its available speed boats between Friday morning and midnight when restrictions would be placed on movement would boost its chances of winning the election.
Security agents
It is a normal saying in Bayelsa that whoever has the security would win the election. This was aptly demonstrated in Kolokuma/ Opokuma constituency 3 during the House of Assembly election when the APGA candidate, backed by the then Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to Jonathan, Dr Waripamowei Dudafa provided the needed security from Abuja which ensured that the PDP was unable to manipulate the election leading to the victory of the APGA candidate.
The role security agencies play in Bayelsa elections cannot be downplayed which has prompted the PDP to accuse the APC of planning to use federal might to rig it out of the governorship election. Both parties have accused each other of sowing Police and Army uniforms which they intend to give to their loyalists to help in the intimidation and harassment of voters at the polling units.
Egba has denied plans by APC to use federal might to win the election, stressing that the PDP, because of what it has been doing for the past 16 years, is now afraid of its shadows and thinks APC would use the Police and Army to win elections.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase has assured that the policemen deployed for the exercise are professionals that would ensure a peaceful atmosphere is provided for the conduct of the election. Already, there is massive deployment of policemen totalling 14,000 in the state. Also, special forces have been deployed to the state and monitors have been sent by the Police Service Commission for the election.
The neutrality or otherwise of security agents would determine the swinging of the votes, aside the work rate and the acceptability that the individual candidates currently enjoy.
0 comments :
Post a Comment