THE Bayelsa governorship election was, yesterday, marred by violence,
inducement of voters and apathy in parts of the state, particularly in
the riverine and coastal areas. Malfunctioning of card reader machines
was also rampant.
Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Brass and Nembe local councils were worst hit
as thugs unleashed mayhem on rival supporters.
In Southern Ijaw, although four persons were reportedly killed, an
indigene of the area told Vanguard that those confirmed dead were
more.
Gunmen were said to have invaded the riverside community in the early
hours of the day ostensibly to hijack election materials. Three of the
invaders were reportedly killed as security forces battled to restore
normalcy while the fourth victim was said to have been felled by stray
bullets.
Elsewhere in the riverine Nembe and Brass local councils,the election
day eve witnessed shootings and disruption of the peace,which prompted
reinforcement of security personnel in the area.
Although normalcy returned to Nembe on election day, the tension and
security uncertainty caused voters to remain indoors, resulting in
voter apathy.
It was gathered that the spate of shootings forced many of the
residents indoor for fear of being caught in the cross fire just as
election materials, according to a source, could not leave the highly
tensed area.
"Several shots were fired to scare the people and this paved the way
for the carting away of election materials but security operatives
attached to the area were up to the task," said an eye witness.
According to the eye witness, no fewer than 45 suspects were arrested
by security operatives.
At the time of filing this report, a source in the community told
Vanguard that the exercise might be suspended due to the mayhem and
escalating tension in the area.
However,the election was generally peaceful in
Yenagoa,Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia, and parts of Sagbama local
government areas.
A community leader in Sagbegeria in Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ongore
Joshua,who decried the low turnout of voters,described the situation
as unfortunate.
In parts of Yenagoa,Ogbia and Kolokuma/Opokuma local councils,
accreditation started around 8:30am, although there were complaints of
failure of card readers in Kolokuma/Opokuma Units 6 and 7 of Ward 10.
In Otuan community in Southern Ijaw, the locals were yet to sight INEC
officials and materials at press time. Unconfirmed reports said INEC
had cancelled the exercise in Southern Ijaw.
Dickson decries faulty card readers, violence against supporters
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Governor Seriake
Dickson, who led his wife, Rachael, and mother, Goldcoast, to do
accreditation at about 10.38am at Oruere-Ware Unit 5 of Sagbama Ward
2, lamented that the card reader failed to capture their finger prints
.
Dickson, after accreditation, expressed worry over the alleged spate
of failure of the card readers and violent attacks on his supporters
in Oporoma, Brass, Ekeremor and other parts of the state.
The governor noted that the report of violence was disturbing and
described them as pre-meditated in spite of the presence of heavy
security agents.
"We are taking note of the violence against our people. Everyone knows
who they are and security agents are watching while they carry out the
mayhem," he said.
Sylva optimistic
Chief Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate,
was accredited at 11.41am alongside his wife, Alayingi, at Eseni
Square, Unit 4, Ward 4,
Sylva condemned the attack on the house of the Minister of State for
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief Heineken Lokpobiri, at
Oporoma by suspected thugs.
He also picked holes in the many incidents of failed card reader but
expressed optimism that, having had a successful campaign, he was
certain of victory .
The APC candidate, disclosed that several thugs were apprehended by
the Joint Task Force (JTF) at Odioma while floating in the river
waiting for him.
He said that intelligence led to the arrests.
"We got security reports of infiltration by PDP thugs but it seemed to
be ignored by security agencies owing to conflicting reports. Here,
there is peace, everyone is allowed to exercise his franchise. You can
see that there is peace here.
"My card was read well but, while on the line, I noticed that many
people were failed by the card reader. I want INEC to up this
technology, it gives me some worry, but, overall, everything is going
well.
"The other party didn't want election from what we can see with the
deployment of thugs and violence. A minister was attacked. He called
me to say his house had been attacked. We called for security
reinforcement and he is safe now."
Vanguard gathered that the houses of the Acting State Chairman of the
PDP, HRH Serena Dokubo, and another party stalwart were attacked by
opposition supporters at Brass in the morning but Dokubo could not be
reached for comments at press time.
I'm quite worried about card reader issue – Jonathan
Immediate past president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, after suffering card
reading hitches as he and his wife, Patience, faced during the last
general elections, called for the review of the concept of the card
reader before the 2019 elections.
Jonathan made the call after his accreditation at Otazi Playground
Polling Unit 039, Ward 13, Otuoke, in Ogbia local council.
The former President and his wife's first attempt at accreditation, at
about 8:45a.m, was unsuccessful on account of the malfunctioning of a
card reader They were later accredited when a back-up machine was
brought at 10 am.
However, the card reader failed to capture Jonathan's mother and two
other associates.
Answering a question on his impression of the situation, the former
President said: "I advise that before the 2019 elections, the whole
concept of card reader and the technology must be reviewed. I'm quite
worried about the card reader issue this morning. Luckily, this is an
isolated, one-state election. But from my experience today, INEC must
review this issue of PVC and card reader very well before we go into
the next elections.
"In the last presidential election, myself and my wife's PVCs were
rejected by the card reader. Today, because they changed mine and that
of my wife, it was successful. Five people came with me including a
former commissioner known to me in the state. The card reader rejected
three others. They could not have been carrying clone cards."
Jonathan, who looked calm, admonished Bayelsans to be calm and see
politics as a duty to bring about change in the society.
He averred that transparent and credible elections are hallmarks of
democracy, adding that when elections are not peaceful, they cannot be
said to be credible.
Urging Bayelsans to go about yesterday's poll peacefully, he said
whoever emerged governor after the voting exercise should govern the
state well.
How thugs attacked Lokpobiri's home
Few hours before the commencement of accreditation of voters, the
country home of the Minister of State for Agriculture and
Director-General of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organization, Senator
Heineken Lokpobiri, was attacked by gunmen.
The gunmen were said to have stormed the house in the early hours of
the day but were repelled by security operatives.
The attackers, according to sources, overpowered security men deployed
to Ekeremor and made their way into the minister's compound, causing
mayhem, with Lokpobiri and others trapped inside the house.
-Vanguard
