Election Tribunal: APC plots to arrest, abduct our members in Nembe, says Bayelsa PDP
Taiwo Owoeye
Nigeria main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State on Monday allegedly uncovered plots by some powerful members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to arrest and abduct some of its major stakeholders in Nembe constituency One, Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
The party disclosed this in a statement by its acting chairman, Mr. Cleopas Moses.
According to the party, reports at its disposal indicated that the APC had perfected the plan which they want to carry out “through intimidation and unwarranted arrests of party leaders and supporters in the area.”
The party added that APC wants to a carry out the plan using an alleged report that some youths, presently in detention were sponsored by the PDP leaders to carry out violence during the recently-concluded governorship elections in Bayelsa State.
The statement reads inter alia: “The said youths who have been arrested and detained at unknown locations are believed to have been made to sign written statements, implicating the PDP leaders and stakeholders, most of whom are serving and former top government functionaries, to pave the way for their arrest and abduction.
“We have it on good authority that the plan is to intimidate and prevent these persons from appearing and testifying at the ongoing Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja. This whole plan is said to have been hatched by a well known Chief and former Commissioner and now a chieftain of the APC in the State. In sharp and most agonising contrast, petitions by PDP members and officials are like pouring water on the back of a duck.
“Sadly, while the security agencies have responded to the frivolous petition of the APC by arresting youths and forcing them to sign already prepared statements indicting top PDP stakeholders in Nembe constituency One, the same cannot be said of PDP’s petition against clear cases of violence and brigandage perpetrated against its members in Brass Local Government Area, during the same election.”
The party added it is well known fact in Twon-Brass, precisely on December 5 2016, a large crowd of APC thugs attacked the homes of prominent PDP members, including that of the then acting chairman in Bayelsa State, His Royal Highness, David Serena Dokubo-Spiff, completely vandalizing their homes and rendering them homeless to this day.
“For Dokubo-Spiff, members of his household were savagely attacked, with some of them ending up with machete cuts on their heads and limbs”, it stated.
It added further, “A report to this effect was lodged and written statements given to the Police in Twon-Brass and very unfortunately, up till now, no investigation has been conducted and no arrests made, despite the fact that the names of the culprits and masterminds were expressly written in one of the statements.
According to PDP, instead, law enforcement officials were all-too happy to take adverse action on the spurious petitions by the APC chieftains with blood on their hands and purportedly planning to summon PDP chieftains and supporters for interrogation in Abuja.
It warned that, “this one sided, lopsided approach to law enforcement cannot be fair and cannot be right.”
The party added thus: “What about the report of six people shot in Nembe-Bassambiri, with nothing done up to this moment by the law enforcement officers, despite the injured persons being transferred to Yenagoa and still in very critical condition.
“It is common knowledge that the dominant players who are all of PDP extraction in Nembe constituency One are persons who believe in peace and development. It is because of the efforts of these persons that the PDP secured an overwhelming victory in the area and it is also on record and we wish to state without any reservation that, Nembe constituency One is one area where elections were peaceful.”
It premised the assertion on the response by the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC), security agencies and election observers, who adjudged the elections in Nembe Constituency One as free, fair and credible with mo major cases of violence.
The security agencies, INEC and election observers, the party said, also confirmed that the elections were conducted, results collated and announced by the Electoral officers at the various polling units and with no post election violence.
The PDP therefore called on security institutions and their agents, “not to allow themselves to be dragged into this show of shame and wickedness, but should rather uphold the peace because doing otherwise will affect the peace that is gradually returning to the state.”
“The PDP wants to assure its teeming supporters from Nembe and Bayelsa state not to be provoked by these negative elements, whose quest to take over the government through the back door was roundly rejected by the people. The PDP led governments has promised to use all legal means to see that its members are not intimidated in the course of the tribunal.
“Our party wants to assure its teeming supporters, not to allow themselves to be provoked by the baseless allegations. We have promised to use all legal means to see that no one within its fold is intimidated with baseless allegation. The truth will always prevail and at the end, the court will affirm its resounding victory”, it concluded.
