Bayelsa LG Polls: LP Candidate Faults BYSIEC, PDP Over Alleged Disenfranchisement

Chairmanship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last Saturday’s local government elections in Bayelsa State for the Sagbama Local Government Area, Hon.Christopher Ogosi, has described as ‘undemocratic and worrisome’, the entire processes of the polls.
Speaking to newsmen in Sagbama town, headquarters of the Sagbama Council area, the Labour party chairmanship contender alleged that the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has subverted the aspiration and yearnings of the electorate for good governance through deliberate disenfranchisement.
He alleged that from the eve of the election through to the date of the exercise, information at his disposal showed that the state government never wanted the exercise to be credible.
Hon. Ogosi who also alleged that the Nigeria Police Force, which he supposed should help in ensuring a hitch-free exercise by securing electoral materials, lives and properties of citizens before, during and after the elections, rather compromised to render the process undemocratic.
“Since early Friday evening that the electoral materials were brought to Sagbama town, rather than take them to the INEC office here where the materials can then be distributed early Saturday morning to the various wards and communities of the LGA, the Police through orders of the PDP, have decided to keep these materials in the Divisional Police Station, Sagbama.
“This is the first time this is happening in this LGA. In all previous elections, they’ve been keeping electoral materials at the Sagbama LGA office of the INEC before they’re distributed.
“We’ve kept vigil since Friday evening that these materials arrived Sagbama. While the Police never allowed any other body or party to go even close to their station to see these materials, we saw several PDP stalwarts driving into the Police station in their vehicles. I don’t want to mention names here, but we saw them”, the Labour party candidate said.
The Chairmanship contender who also alleged that the electoral materials for five wards of the Local Government Area were not accounted for/distributed at the Police station by the electoral umpire, vowed to reclaim his mandate through the judiciary.
He said upon visiting his unit to cast his vote and subsequent information he gathered from his agents and supporters across most units and wards of the Local Government Area, he confirmed that there were no sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the BYSIEC ad-hoc staff deployed to conduct the polls.
“When I went to my voting place (Unit 9) of ward 10, Sagbama Town, to cast my vote, surprisingly there were no tables and chairs and other sensitive and non sensitive materials for the BYSIEC ad-hoc staff to conduct the elections. So was it in many other wards and units of the LGA.
“There’s no ink, no biros, no result sheets, etc. These are indications that BYSIEC and the PDP led government of Bayelsa state never wanted to conduct the elections in the first place”, Hon. Ogosi added.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa West Senatorial Vice-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Michael Magbisa, has described as falsehood, the allegations leveled against the PDP and the electoral umpire by the Labour Party local government chairmanship contender.
Magbisa who spoke with newsmen in Sagbama Town, commended the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) and the electorate across the Sagbama and Ekeremor council areas, his official jurisdiction, and described the polls as ‘peaceful’ and ‘credible’.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa