Accusations and counter-accusations have continued to trail the outbreak of violence during Saturday’s governorship elections in Bayelsa state, as Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) traded words over outbreak of violence.
DAILY POST gathered that there were reports of widespread violence across the eight local government areas, with Southern Ijaw local government council being the worst hit with the reported killing of seven APC supporters by suspected PDP thugs.
Chief Nathan Egba, Director of Media of the APC governorship campaign organization, told newsmen in Yenagoa that many members and supporters of the APC were killed and many others suffered severe injuries following attacks by armed thugs allegedly working for the PDP.
He also alleged that in many polling units across the state, suspected PDP thugs attacked electoral officials and voters, and carted away ballots papers and boxes in the presence of security agents, many of whom watched helplessly.
“At Opolo Ward 5, gun wielding PDP thugs hijacked the entire electoral process, chasing away all known APC supporters as voting was about to commence in all the seven units that make up the Ward.
“The few APC supporters who were seen around are being offered ten thousand naira each to vote for PDP. Also, at Nembe Ward 2, unit 12, We heard of reported cases of thump printing and stuffing of ballot boxes.
Egba, who hailed from Nembe, further alleged that also in Ward 3, unit 5 and 7, agents of the PDP paid cash to willing electoral officials to buy ballot papers.
In response, the ruling PDP accused the APC of masterminding the violence that characterized the elections across the state, alleging that security agents arrested two chieftains of the APC in connection with the violence in Southern Ijaw.
A statement from the Governor Dickson’s Restoration Campaign Organization accused the APC of masterminding the violence, which resulted in the loss of lives in Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.
“Security operatives have arrested a former secretary to the state government and a chieftain of the APC Chief Gideon Ekeowei and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Donald Egberibein and 49 others in connection with election violence.
“The violence that claimed lives in Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw local government area, witnessed the killing of no fewer than four persons and several others seriously injured.
“Members of the APC reportedly unleashed terror on the people of the community in the early hours of the day, after picking the victims up at various locations within the community,” the statement said.
DAILY POST gathered that across the state, the situation was the same, as the two opposing parties thread accusations, amid tension and apprehension, following the breakdown of law and order on election day.
In Brass, hometown of Chief Timpre Sylva, armed thugs reportedly ambushed Sylva along the waterways on his way to drop some people at Odioma. Sources told DAILY POST that the APC governorship candidate was however saved by a detachment of the Joint Military Task Force(JTF) in the area.
Following the developments, the APC campaign organisation, late Saturday, issued a statement, which was signed by its Director of Media, Chief Nathan Egba, condemning the insecurity and loss of lives that marred the election.
“What has happened today is underscores the height of desperation by the incumbent governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson. We had before now, pleaded with security agents to help safeguard and protect the ordinary to enable them cast their vote, but as we have all seen, insecurity was the order of the day.
“In Nembe, two APC members were shot at last night by suspected PDP thugs in the Ogbolomabiri side of Nembe. also on election day, the thugs have been going around the town singing and shooting into the air.
“At Bassambiri part of Nembe, PDP thugs led by a serving Commissioner in Dickson’s cabinet, Chief Walter Benwari and another PDP bigwig, Chief James Jephthah, led thugs wielding guns and machetes to molest and chase away APC supporters from Polling Centers, the statement said.
Egba also alleged that suspected PDP thugs, from neibouring Delta and Rivers states, reportedly attacked the country home of a chieftain of the APC, and Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
He said the situation was not different in Yenagoa, the state capital, where thugs invaded polling units at Opolo Epie Ward 5, blocked the distribution centre and chased away every other party agents leaving only the PDP agents to observe the distribution of materials to the various polling units.
The APC media director alleged that two former Niger Delta militant commanders, Joshua Mackiver and Pastor Ruben, allegedly led armed thugs to Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw local government area on violence rampage that left eight APC members dead.
Also, there were reports of widespread intimidation of voters in Ogbia kingdom, hometown of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, where thugs reportedly harassed voters and threatened them to reject the APC.
In Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area of the state, the APC alleged that a Federal House of Representative member, Hon, Douye Diri, used armed thugs and some security personnel to intimidate APC supporters to discourage them from going to the polling units.
DAILY POST reports that a mid-drama played out at Agudama-Epie community, a suburb of the state capital, after a middle aged man, Mr. Ovie Amatian, was arrested by the police for parading himself as a polling agent with a fake PDP polling agent tag while accreditation was going on.
Also, in Sagbama, an APC party agent, Mr. Christopher Abaraowei, was seriously attacked with machete and other dangerous weapons at the INEC office in the community by suspected PDP thugs and chased out of the Centre.
Abarowei, who narrated his ordeal to newsmen, after he managed to escape death, however suffered a broken head, machete cuts, injured left eye from the hands of the thugs, who also tore his clothes into pieces.
Following the violence and subsequent killing of eight persons in Southern Ijaw, INEC subsequently postponed elections in the area to Sunday, December 6, to enable security agents restore peace and normalcy in the area.
However, on Sunday morning, DAILY POST gathered that Governor Dickson reportedly visited Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw, where he was alleged to have met his party chieftains in the area over the killings.
Following the visit of the Governor, the APC responded with a statement on Sunday morning, condemning Governor Dickson for visiting the area ahead of the rescheduled election.
In a statement signed by the APC campaign organization’s media director, Chief Nathan Egba, the party accused Dickson of breaking INEC Rules by visiting Oporoma on Election Day, a move the APC say could further aggregate the tensed security situation in the area.
The party also alleged that Dickson had gone to Oporoma to threaten electoral officials and protest the rescheduled elections in the area.
“Report reaching the APC indicates that Governor Seriake Dickson, early this morning led a delegation to Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, to protest against the rescheduled election.
“Governor Dickson is from Sagbama Local Government Area and has no basis going to monitor conduct of an election in another Local Government Area on an election day in line with the electoral guidelines.
“This is clearly an act of desperation by the Governor, who is the candidate of the PDP in the election.
Dickson, in company of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Kombowei Benson, who is from the area, reportedly met with INEC officials there and told them not to go ahead with the rescheduled poll.
The statement further stated that the INEC officials however, told the Governor that he had no powers to stop the conduct of the rescheduled election in the area.
Egba, who expressed disappointment with the conduct of Governor Dickson, who is the chief security officer of the state, accused him of being the “chief sponsor of violent attacks in most of the communities.”
In response to the outbreak of violence, Governor Seriake Dickson has called on the federal government to investigate the circumstances that led to the violent attacks that claimed some lives during the election.
Dickson made the call during his accreditation at his Oruere-Ware Unit 5, Ward 2, Sagbama local council area, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Racheal Dickson and mother, Madam Gold-Coast.
The governor who spoke after he was accredited at about 10:48am deplored the reported spate of card readers’ failure and violent attacks on PDP supporters in Oporoma, Brass, Ekeremor and other parts of the state.
He described the violence as highly regrettable, calling the attacks as pre-meditated, in spite of the presence of armed security operatives, accusing the security agents of looking away while criminals unleashed violence on the people.
Dickson said he has no doubt in his mind that security agents failed to provide a conducive environment for voting to take place and also accused the opposition APC of orchestrating the violence.
However, the Police authorities have warned the political gladiators in the Bayelsa governorship polls not to test the might of the force, stressing that the police would not hesitate to deal with trouble makers.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Mr. Hashimu Argungu, who is in charge of security in the Bayelsa State governorship election, on Sunday morning, issued the warning at a media breifing on the outbreak of violence.
The warning came against the backdrop of reported electoral violence recorded in parts of the state which left over eight persons dead and many others seriously injured on Saturday.
“Security agencies are ready and nobody should take us for granted. Any breach of peace would be seriously death with.
“The country, Nigeria, is greater than any individual and nobody is above the law”, he said.
The DIG, however, said the reported killing in Southern Ijaw could not be confirmed because the corpses and particulars of the victims could not be traced.
“The report that some people were killed cannot be confirmed as corpses of the purported dead persons cannot be traced and their particulars could not be obtained from any source.
“Information at my disposal is that there was no death in Southern Ijaw yesterday (Saturday), Argungu said.
He assured the people of Southern Ijaw, where the election continued on Sunday of adequate security, appealing to the people to shun thuggery and conduct themelves in a peaceful manner.
“All security agencies have their men on ground in Southern Ijaw and other few places where election could not take place yesterday.
“Restrictions of movement still stand in the affected areas where the election will hold today. Election must take place in this established enabling environment,” the DIG said.
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