Bayelsa Polls: 14 persons feared dead, Dickson weeps, wants perpetrators arrested
Felix Okoye
Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, on Saturday, condemned the electoral malpractice and violence which disrupted the supplementary elections in Brass, Nembe, Ekeremor town and parts of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
Over 14 people, including four policemen, two soldiers and eight civilians were feared dead in Ekeremor alone while many members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were reportedly attacked in Brass and Southern Ijaw.
The victims were said to be in critical conditions at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
The governor who wept for those that were killed, prayed for God to grant their souls eternal rest.
While calling for the arrest of the perpetrators of the killings, Governor Dickson condoled the families of those who have lost their dear ones. Governor Dickson thanked Bayelsans for reposing confidence in him and his government and expressed confidence of victory.
According to Dickson, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has never been happy with the the mantra of ‘one man, one vote’ anchored on transparency and fairness.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, accused chieftains of the APC of masterminding the killing of innocent Bayelsans in Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe and Southern Ijaw LGAs.
“why the APC would kill to capture power desperately through the backdoor, by hook or crook”, he wondered.
While reiterating his earlier stance that the APC was not ready for one-man one- vote, the governor said the violence has also vindicated him on his earlier position that the security agencies particularly, the Nigerian military are partisan and not willing to provide the enabling environment for a free and fair election to take place.
Iworiso-Markson said, “The Governor also accused the security agencies of providing cover for the APC to perpetrate violence and rig the elections in the state. To achieve their sinister plot, APC militants hijacked election materials and wrote results in many wards of Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor town and Brass while elections were disrupted in parts of Yenagoa and in a polling unit in Otokpoti, Ogbia LG. The governor called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to cancel the elections in polling units where the APC hijacked election and results written.