Bayelsa Election Tribunal: Dickson floors Sylva
Taiwo Owoeye
Bayelsa State Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Nyanya, Abuja has granted the prayers of Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to inspect the election materials used to conduct the January 9 Guber election in Brass local government area.
The election in Brass, the only local government won by the All Progressives Congress, (APC) candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva was allegedly characterized by irregularities while the PDP candidate in the election and incumbent governor, Hon. Dickson won the remaining 7 local government areas.
Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, Governor Dickson described the development as a step in the right direction to unravel the issues involved in the case before the tribunal.
He said the conduct of the Governorship election in Brass local government area where Chief Sylva hails from was a charade as the exercise was marred by violence, intimidation and snatching of electoral materials in most communities of the area.
Governor Dickson who noted that the then state PDP Acting Chairman, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff was among several other party members attacked during the election in Brass as a ploy to scare away voters, claimed that PDP actually won the election in the area.
Buttressing his claim, the Governor cited the outright rejection of the APC and its Governorship candidate by some communities in Brass such as Odioma and Egwe-ama during the electioneering campaigns.
While commending the tribunal for its decision to enable him inspect the election materials, Governor Dickson expressed optimism that the outcome of the tribunal would be favourable to the PDP.
