The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has raised the alarm that the Saturday January 9 governorship election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State may be a formality after all.
It alleged that the All Progressives Congress in conjunction with the military, the police and Independent National Electoral Commission had already written the result of the yet-to-be conducted election.
Election is expected to hold on Saturday (today) in the Southern Ijaw LGA and some parts of the state to conclude the governorship election in the South-South state.
Our correspondent gathered that Southern Ijaw has a total of 120,827 registered voters, while the commission is also targeting 38,000 votes in the three affected local governments.
Bayelsa state has a total of 663,639 registered voters.
Governor Seriake Dickson, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party is leading a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, in the already conducted election.
However, the Acting National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said in a statement in Abuja on Friday that his party had gathered from intelligence report that the Saturday election would be a mere formality, alleging that the APC government has already written the results ahead of the election.
According to Secondus, “Southern Ijaw is the home local government of former governor of the state, Chief DSP Alamiseighga and a known Ijaw leader.
“The state is politically divided into Nembe, Ogbia and Southern Ijaw, that is the home local government council area of the Ijaws where governor Dickson hails 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 hail 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.”
He alleged further that some officials of the Federal Government and some ministers have directed the INEC to write the results in favour of the APC.
“There is the use of police and military personnel to intimidate voters and also scare them away,” he added
Secondus said that winning the Bayelsa governorship election is part of APC plot of having a foothold in the South-South, saying, “all ministers and government officials from the zone have been directed to ensure that Bayelsa is delivered to APC at all cost.”
He called on the international community to monitor the alleged plot, warning that the action could have consequences of hurting Nigeria’s democracy.
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