No fewer than six women were injured on Tuesday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, after violence broke out between supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
DAILY POST gathered that the violent confrontation followed an attempt by the APC governorship campaign organization to evacuate heaps of refuse that littered many parts of the state capital.
Six women believed to be supporters of the APC were reportedly attacked by some youths suspected to be PDP loyalists at the Opolo area of the state capital after the youths accused them of chanting abusive songs against Governor Seriake Dickson.
This is also as Governor Dickson was reportedly booed by irate market women and youths as his convoy drove past the Swali market road, after a campaign tour of Swali community, a suburb of the state capital.
It was reliably gathered that the APC campaign organization had as early as 7.am, commenced a cleaning exercise, codenamed, ‘Operation Clean Bayelsa’, an initiative many observers believed was meant to ridicule Gov. Dickson’s administration for its failure to promptly evacuate the heaps of refuse bins in the state capital.
The refuse clearing exercise was coordinated by the APC Campaign Organization’s Director of Media & Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba assisted by Dr. Selekaye Victor- Ben, who is the Director of Mobilization.
The exercise, which witnessed a large turnout, saw the crowd of APC supporters evacuating refuse bins along Kpansia, Swali and Opolo areas of the state capital.
Speaking to journalists, Egba described the ‘Keep Bayelsa Clean’ exercise by the APC as strategic and means of salvaging the state from epidemic.
On his part, Victor-Ben said the exercise was a demonstration of the commitment of the APC to correct the failures of the PDP administration in the state.
However, eyewitnesses told DAILY POST that some of the women involved in the exercise were allegedly attacked at the Tombia dump site, prompting the APC to accuse Governor Dickson of sponsoring the attack on its supporters.
Responding to the alleged attack, APC spokesman, Nathan Egba said the women were attacked and the truck used in the refuse evacuation exercise was torched by the suspected PDP supporters.
But in a reaction, Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, the Director of Media and Publicity for the PDP Governorship Campaign Organization, dismissed as baseless, the claims of the APC in the state.
Obuebite alleged that the irate supporters of the APC had carried out an unwarranted attack on the convoy of the Governor Dickson along the Swali area of the State.
He claimed that security operatives attached to the convoy of the governor quickly averted a clash between the two groups, describing the APC’s action as “a deceitful style of campaign.”
The PDP campaign spokesman advised Bayelsans and other residents of the state to be wary of the antics of the APC members who he said were desperate to grab power through the back door by advancing various dubious means.
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