Senator Foster Oguta, representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District has ascribed the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the just concluded Bayelsa election to hard work as opposed to gambling and use of thugs for ballot box snatching and intimidation before and during the exercise by the opposition APC.
Speaking with DAILY POST in Abuja, he lamented that the major contender in the elections, the All Progressives Congress, APC, was heavily involved in gambling with the use of thugs and ex-militants who go about fully armed to intimidate people, kidnapping innocent citizens and snatching ballot boxes, an ignoble acts he alleged got the backing of their Principal – Timipreye Silva.
“The PDP worked hard and never gambled on the use of violence. We saw especially three days to the election and a day after the rerun, where some fully armed ex-militants and thugs were used by the APC,” he lamented.
He further stated that some security agents were cajoled into cooperating with the APC to work against the PDP, but for resilience of the people of Bayelsa, their antics were thwarted.
“The problem that was beyond the control of INEC and the state government was that some security agents were misinformed and were openly taking sides with APC. But I know Inspector General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, and other Security heads would not be involved, so those guys were doing that on their own,” he stressed.
The Federal lawmaker absolved the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of any wrongdoing in the entire exercise, but advised the electoral umpire to consider purchasing boats which would be used in ferrying materials to rural areas across the sea at subsequent elections.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has done well in Bayelsa elections and the only area I will like to advise is for the agency to acquire boats to reach easily areas where elections are to be conducted, “he added.
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