Bayelsa Polls, Most Transparent, Observers

The Northern Patriotic Front (NPF), a domestic observer group, said on Sunday in Abuja, that the governorship election in Bayelsa was the most transparent in recent times.

Alhaji Ali Abacha, National Coordinator of the group, told newsmen that INEC had improved tremendously on its experience in the last elections in Kogi and Adamawa.

“Some of the problems we have identifed in the past election like late arrival of election materials, under-aged voting and inadequate security to some polling units, were absent in Bayelsa.

“We should learn to commend whenever there is an improvement as we always condemn where we find fault.

“INEC has improved tremendously on its experience in the last Kogi and Adamawa governorship elections because some of the problems we had identified were not visible in this election.’’

Abacha commended the people of the state for ensuring a peaceful conduct, and called on the remaining states to emulate Bayelsa.

“We are calling on the remaining states where the elections are yet to hold to take a queue from Bayelsa and Adamawa where we have had peaceful elections,’’ he said.

He urged the losers to accept defeat and embrace winners, and called on the winners to be magnanimous to their contenders.

The NPF is a domestic election observer group which has over 55 observers.