Dickson, Sylva Bicker Over Rerun Polls

L-R: Deputy Director, Equipment Procurement, Ahq Brig.-Gen Abdul Masanawa, Representative, Minister of Defence, Maj.-Gen Barry Ndiomu, Defence Attache, US Embassy, Col. Patrick Doyle, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate Lagos, Dehab Ghebreab, during the US donation of 24 Armored Personnel Carriers to Nigeria in Lagos, yesterday

The word of wars between the governorship candidate of PDP,who is also the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon Seriake Dickson and his challenger, the APC candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva continues with each, accusing the other of perfecting rigging strategies through violence.
Dickson who was the first to fire the salvo claimed that the violence was to rig the election for which the people of Southern Ijaw LGA have remained resolute to vote massively for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite abnormalities that culminated in the cancellation of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking at a crowded world press conference, aired live on major Radio and TV stations in the State and across the country, Governor Dickson restated his call on all federal institutions that have a role to play in the election to be non-partisan “in order not to undermine the integrity of the electoral process and the nation’s fledging democracy.”
He said, “the people of Southern Ijaw are waiting eagerly and more determined to cast their ballot. The only thing we are asking is that, those institutions that have the duty to make it possible for the people of the area to cast their votes should please, in the interest of our nation and the security and stability of our state and this region and in the interest of our nation’s fledging democracy, do their utmost best so that the people can join the rest of their brothers and sisters in this state by casting their votes in a free, fair and credible manner.”
Dickson condemned the manipulation of critical national institutions by political leaders to serve their personal ambition, stressing that, such acts could be seen as “a deliberate subversion of the country’s security.”
“For the interest of peace in Niger Delta, the nation and the Bayelsa State in particular, I am warning the security agencies, the APC and the INEC not to rig the elections if peace must prevail in this part of the country”
Dickson said his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will roundly defeat the APC like it did in six of the seven local government areas where the election was conducted on December 5,2015 before it was declared inconclusive.
The re-run governorship election will be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and 101 other units.
“I want to remind the leaders of our nation; those heading strategic national institutions not to use them to promote either a partisan agenda of a political party or to advance the political aspirations of anybody, not even me because I don’t need anybody to kill or maim for me to achieve my political ambition. I am a man of peace and everybody knows our track records on peace and security”, he stated.
But, Chief Timipre Sylva on Wednesday mocked Governor Seriake Dickson over the alleged plot to disrupt the conduct of Saturday’s supplementary election in Southern Ijaw local Government Council and other 101 units of the state, describing Governor Dickson as a “war hungry governor”.
Sylva further disclosed that though the PDP and its candidate, Governor Dickson had secured a simple lead of 33,000 votes in the December 5 and 6, Dickson in his desperate move to stop the coming defeat in the rerun election in Southern Ijaw Local Government has deployed armed men to disrupt the outcome by unleashing violence in the area.
Speaking in Yenagoa, during an interactive session with the media and stakeholders of the APC, Sylva said intelligence report gathered by the APC showed a dangerous and desperate alleged acts of stockpiling of arms and dangerous weapons to disrupt the Southern Ijaw election.
He said, “Dickson has been author of violence and he has planned to attack Southern Ijaw election. Because the PDP government know that he APC is set to upturn such unfair means and win our strong hold,they have started making false claims. Because the PDP government is on his way out,they have put together a plot to perpetuate violence in Southern Ijaw Area.
The antecedent of the PDP candidate, Governor Dickson have shown that his desperate accusation against the APC were actually plot in motions by the PDP. I am the author of peace.”
Sylva noted that the desperation being shown by the PDP candidate was due to the ways and manner he was elected the Governor of the State under the administration of Former President Goodluck Jonathan, “He knows how he became governor with impunity. And he is thinking the APC will deploy the same might under President Muhammadu Buhari. The APC government cannot do that.”
Meanwhile, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it would be deploying three of its National Commissioners to supervise Saturday Bayelsa supplementary governorship election.
INEC Deputy Director of Publicity, Mr Nick Dazang, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
Dazang added that the commission would also deploy a technical team to each ward where the election would be conducted.
“The technical team would be deployed to intervene in situations where there are technical challenges as regards the use of card readers,” Dazang said.
He said that no fewer than 834 ad hoc staff, comprising of four staff in each of the 431 polling units, would also be deployed to conduct the election.
Dazang said that election would be conducted in 425 polling units (PUs) and five voting points in Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.
Besides, he said that the supplementary election would also hold in 101 PUs in three other local government areas of the state where election were cancelled.
“In addition to these the commission is going to monitor the election via its situation room situated at the INEC headquarters in Abuja,” said the spokesman.
He confirmed that the commission had on Wednesday commenced the distribution of sensitive materials from the state capital to local government areas where election would be conducted.
On security, Dazang said that security agencies during a meeting held in December 2015 had assured the commission of needed security to conduct safe election.
Asked of the allegations trending among political parties that INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Bayelsa was offered money by one of the candidates to influence the election in his favour, Dazang said it was an allegation that has not been proved by anyone.
“On Dec. 17, 2015, we had meeting with all the political parties and candidates contesting the election, none of the parties or candidates raise the issue.
“If the allegation was true it could have been raised at the meeting.
“The state REC is still going to conduct the supplementary election because he has not been found wanting on the basis of allegation that could not be proven by anybody,” he said.
Dazang said that the commission was fully ready to conduct credible, free and fair supplementary election on Jan. 9 to conclude the state governorship election.
However, he called for the collaboration of all stakeholders to ensure that peaceful and credible supplementary election was conducted in line with INEC’s planning expectations.
In an other development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bayelsa yesterday said it had commenced distribution of sensitive election materials for Saturday’s supplementary poll in the state.
The Commission’s Public Affairs Officer in Bayelsa, Mr Timidi Wariowei, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Yenagoa.
Wariowei said the Commission received the sensitive materials on Wednesday and distribution had commenced in Ekeremor Local Government Area yesterday.
He added that “all the materials are now in our custody; the materials include ballot papers and result sheets.
“On the distribution process, we intend to dispatch that of Southern-Ijaw Local Government Area early morning of Saturday.
“You know that the real focus is the Southern-Ijaw and we do not want what happened on December 5, 2015 to repeat itself in that area.
“INEC is prepared to conduct free, fair and credible election for the betterment of the people.
“We have over 100 polling units in the state to conduct the election and Southern-Ijaw; so, we are ready to conduct credible and acceptable election.’’
On the use of ad hoc staff, Wariowei said the Commission resolved to use some of them that participated in the December 5 gubernatorial election in the state.
He, however, added that some of the ad hoc staff had been changed, especially for the Southern-Ijaw, stressing that efforts were made to ensure that the election was conducted freely.
He said “INEC is on top of the game. On security, we have been working with security agencies because without them, we cannot conduct the election.
“We have been collaborating with the Police and Army to ensure peaceful election in Bayelsa.’’
Also, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), an NGO, said it would deploy 99 election observers to monitor the supplementary governorship election in 101 polling units in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
This is contained in a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa by Mr Armsfree Ajanaku, Media Manager of the NGO, an election observer coalition.
The NGO urged contestants and political parties to shun violence which marred the Dec. 5, 2015 election.
“TMG calls on the political parties and the contestants to ensure that the sadincidents of Dec. 5, 2015 are not repeated come Jan.9.
“TMG calls on the security agencies to ensure the space is secured for the peaceful conduct of the poll on Jan.9.
“Above all, TMG urges eligible voters coming out to exercise their franchise in Southern Ijaw and other affected polling units to conduct themselves with utmost decorum,” Ajanaku said.
Our Correspondent recalls that the Dec. 5, governorship election was marred by violence which compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declared the election in the area inconclusive.