Niger Delta
Jonathan, Diri, Alaibe Commend INEC, Electorates On Off-cycle Elections … As Ex-President Canvasses Electoral Calendar Overhaul
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Governor of Bayelsa, and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 11th 2023 off-cycle governorship elections, Senator Douye Diri, as well as an ex-Managing-Director (MD) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief NduTimi Alaibe, have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for improvement recorded in the conduct of the off-cycle governorship elections in the state.
The ex-President and the duo, who also lauded electorates across the state on the exercise of their franchise, gave the commendations in their respective polling units shortly after casting their votes.
The Tide, which monitored the polls, reports that while former President Jonathan and his wife, Mrs Patience Jonathan, voted at his Otuoke home town Ebele Square, Unit 39, Ward 13 of the Ogbia Local Government Area, Governor Diri voted alongside his wife, Dr. Gloria Diri, at his Kalama-owei Wari Unit 4, Ward 6 in his home town, Sampou Community in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.
The ex-NDDC MD also cast his vote at Unit 14, Ward 7, Igbainwari, Opokuma Clan in the Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA of the State.
Jonathan noted that though the electoral umpire has made significant landmark achievements in the conduct of the polls, the electoral cycle needed to be overhauled to ensure that all Governorship elections are held at the same time in the country.
He cautioned against the conduct of off-cycle polls, calling on the National Assembly to make amendments in the nation’s electoral laws where necessary so that elections concerning a particular facet of the nation’s political life could be held at same time.
The erstwhile President advised the INEC to emulate the developed Democracies in formulating and planning for the conduct of elections in the country, stressing that if proper care was not taken off-season polls could create political logjam for the nation in the future.
“I want to commend INEC for the timely distribution of electoral materials for the conduct of the three off-season elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states. I also want to congratulate the three states for their elections this day, Saturday 11th, November 2023.
“I’ve been getting briefings from different parts of Bayelsa State concerning the governorship elections today. So far, from reports at my disposal, there’ve not been any major issues bothering on violence, except for some parts of Nembe where the problems started even before this election. But that’s not to say there’ve not been problems in other parts which I may not have heard now.
“INEC and the National Assembly should make sure that they act timely and do what’s necessary to forestall the issue of off-season elections.
“You’d remember that in 2007 when I was running mate to President Yar’ A Dua, and later as Vice President, there was almost an off-season presidential election, but in the court then, out of the seven Justices, four ruled in favour of that presidential election, and so that prevented the occurrence of an off-season presidential election in the nation”, Jonathan said.
Similarly, the State Governor, Senator Diri, expressed concern over the hijack of sensitive election materials at Ward 6 in Sagbama LGA and commended INEC for taking prompt action.
He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) made the voting process fast and seamless.
A statement from the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted him as saying: “We’ve concerns at Nembe-Bassambiri where our party members were stopped from going into their community.
“Our party has written an official letter to the INEC Chairman to ensure that our people are allowed to go in there and vote. What we call for is a free and fair process where the BVAS is used just as l have done here.
“Special attention has to be given to Nembe-Bassambiri because every thing points to the fact that PDP members were chased out of the community.
“You know that we have been raising the issue of the violent character of the APC candidate, Timipre Sylva. Over the years, every election he is involved in experienced violence.”
On his part, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe scored INEC high on the conduct of the polls, saying in Bayelsa State, this off-cycle elections can be judged as the first elections in which both sensitive and non-sensitive election materials and Ad-hoc staff arrived promptly for the conduct of the exercise.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Kevin Nengia, Yenagoa