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Tag: Bayelsa

  • Bayelsa rescheduled elections hold amidst tension

    Bayelsa rescheduled elections hold amidst tension

    •Voters scramble for cash

    Tension enveloped most of the eight constituencies in Bayelsa State where rescheduled elections were held yesterday.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shifted the elections in Ekeremor Constituencies 1, 2, and 3, Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituencies 1 and 2, Sagbama Constituencies 1 and 2 and Southern Ijaw Constituency 1, citing insufficient electoral materials.

    But the elections held as rescheduled amidst tight security in some of the constituencies believed to have possibilities for stiff contest.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and 13 other political parties boycotted the elections after accusing the PDP, the state government and INEC of perfecting measures to rig the elections.

    But the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), the National Conscience Party (NCP) and some other parties participated in the elections.

    The elections which generally witnessed large turnout of voters were peaceful in some constituencies but turbulent in other areas following reports of pockets of violence.

    At Sampou in Kolokuma-Opokuma, violence was said to have broken out but was quelled by security operatives after some persons had sustained injuries.

    In Odi community, crowd of persons trooped out to participate in the exercise but only voted for the highest bidder.

    It was observed that the contest in Odi was between the incumbent PDP lawmaker, Tonye Isenah and an APGA candidate.

    Isenah looked tensed and ruffled after voting at his polling unit following the uncertainties surrounding the elections in the area.

    But most of the people were seen sitting idly after accreditation waiting to exchange their votes for money.

    “It has now become a case of the highest bidder. Right now people are not voting because they want money in exchange for their votes,” one of the community leaders who failed to disclose his name said.

    In Toru-Orua where the state governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, voted, the exercise was peaceful.

    Dickson after his accreditation and voting said that the exercise started as scheduled, adding that it was generally peaceful. The candidate of PDP for Sagabama Constituency 1, Dr. Peter Akpe, said he was impressed by the turnout of voters.

    Akpe who is also the Majority Leader, Bayelsa State, House said INEC effectively conducted the accreditation and the voting process.

    He said parties who boycotted the election had already conceded defeat.

    “There is a very high turnout and also I want to commend INEC for the way they have conducted the accreditation and the exercise. I believe that it is going to be very free and fair.

     

  • Parties accuse INEC of appointing Dickson’s brother as collation officer

    Parties accuse INEC of appointing Dickson’s brother as collation officer

    Political parties in Bayelsa State on Wednesday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of appointing the brother to the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, as a Collation Officer for the April 18 rescheduled elections.

    The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Baritor Kpagih, shifted the House of Assembly elections in eight constituencies citing insufficient electoral materials.

    But the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), the All Progressive Congress (APC) and other parties in Yenagoa said INEC appointed Dickson’s brother and General Manager of the state’s Newspaper Corporation, Mr. Charles Tambo, as a collation officer.

    They specifically said that Tambo had been directed by INEC to be a collation officer for Kololuma-Opokuma Constituency 1.

    Speaking on behalf of other parties, Mr. Preye Ozoro and Mr. Ebire Tarabina, the candidates of APGA for Kolokuma-Opokuma 1 and 2 respectively, alleged that Tambo was appointed to enable the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hijack the results of the election.

    The candidates also accused the state government of a plot to arrest them and 15 strong supporters of the opposition parties before the Saturday’s elections.

    They named the opposition supporters penciled down for arrest by the government using security agencies as Kwesi Zikiye, Gesiye Isowo, Sylvanus Abila, Inemo Oruebimiekumo, Chamberlin Ikidi and Jackson Suokiri.

    Others are Inemotimi Angalapele, Ibarakumo Ikosomi, Pereowei Agura, Victor Vianana, Ebikeme Okoringa, Akpoegberi Ogidiga, Ikuro Igarando and Alex Oruebimiekumo.

    They recalled that the government had once arrested persons perceived to be opposed to the PDP and unlawfully detained them for two weeks in Yenagoa and Zone 6, Benin, Edo State.

    According to them, the candidates of APC for Kolokuma-Opokuma Constituency 1, Mr. Taripredou Aketi and APGA’s Yenagoa Constituency 1, Mr. Kingdom Blessing, suffered the same fate.

    “Emboldened by its operation-arrest- and-detain-our-opponent strategy, the Bayelsa State Government has perfected plans to visit the same fate upon us and our supporters in Kolokuma-Opokuma.

    “The Bayelsa State Government also plan to flood Kolokuma-Opokuma on the Election Day with thugs, fake military officers and policemen, essentially to cause violence and bloodbath with a view to generally intimidate our supporters from coming out to vote”, they said.

    The candidates appealed to INEC to withdraw Tambo and replace him with a university lecturer no associated with the state government.

    They also urged the commission not to release any essential electoral material for Kolokuma-Opokuma to the state government or its agents.

    They also appealed to the commission and security agencies to prevailed on the governor not to tour Kolokuma-Opokuma on the election day as it would instigate crisis in the area.

    But Kpagih acknowledged receiving a petition written by candidates of APGA over the appointment of Tambo, but said the name had been removed from the list of electoral officers.

    “I am barely three months old here. I don’t know anybody. So, when I received the petition, I went to check the list and discovered that Charles Tambo’s name was there. We quickly removed it. So, the name is no longer in the list,” he said.

    He advised parties with complaints to approach him instead of dissipating their energy writing petitions.

  • ‘APC set to unseat PDP in Bayelsa’

    A chieftain of Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Sidi, has said the party will unseat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in next year’s governorship election.

    Sidi said APC would present an unbeatable candidate to defeat the PDP in Bayelsa State.

    The APC chieftain hailed the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the National Working Committee (NWC) for sending the PDP Presidency out of the Aso Rock Villa.

    He said the party’s strength in Bayelsa State should not be judged by the outcome of the House of Assembly election results.

    According to him, the polls were marred by irregularities.

    Sidi said next year’s governorship election would be different because it would be conducted under a new Nigerian order with the rule of law as a national etho.

    The APC chieftain said the April 11 Assembly elections were manipulated by the PDP-led state government.

    He alleged that the government used security operatives to intimidate and harass opposition candidates and their supporters.

    Sidi said: “In 2016, the new Nigerian order must have taken place. The rule of law will reign supreme, unlike what is in vogue under the PDP, where all critical institutions, including the security agencies, have been compromised.

    “Under the incoming government, the police, the Army and other institutions will only restrict themselves to their constitutional roles. This is why we are confident that APC will unseat this unpopular government of the PDP in Bayelsa State in 2016.”

    The APC chieftain stressed that as from next year, INEC and its officials would no longer allow themselves to be induced and manipulated by the government.

    He said: “We are not happy that we won in some places but were rigged out through electoral fraud. We know that the governorship election will be different.

    “We want to thank the people of Bayelsa State for their commitment to the party and change.”

    Sidi said APC remained focused, adding that it would not succumb to any plot to use security agencies to silence its members.

    The APC chieftain urged party faithful to be law-abiding, adding that security agencies would no longer intimidate them.

     

  • Bayelsa Dep Speaker loses seat to APC

    Deputy Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Victor Ateki, has lost his Brass Constituency 1 seat to the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Sunny Igoli.

    Igoli, erstwhile aide to former Governor Timipre Sylva, won the House of Assembly election by landslide.

    He was said to have scored 4,328 votes to defeat Ateki, a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 2766.

  • Bayelsa: INEC shifts elections in eight constituencies

    Bayelsa: INEC shifts elections in eight constituencies

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rescheduled the House of Assembly elections in eight out of the 24 constituencies of Bayelsa State.

    The affected constituencies will hold their elections on April 18.

    The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Baritor Kpagih, said in a statement on Friday that the affected councils are Ekeremor Constituencies 1, 2, and 3, Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituencies 1 and 2, Sagbama Constituencies 1 and 2 and Southern Ijaw Constituency 1.

    But Kpagih said that the election would hold as scheduled in the other 16 constituencies on Saturday

    He, however, stated that the election was shifted because of the position of stakeholders that election should not hold ‘without full complements of the ballot papers.’

    He said: “Following the stand of the stakeholders ‎ that no election should take place in the State without full complement of ballot papers, having regard to the total PVC distributed, the State House of Assembly election slated for Saturday, the 11th of April, 2015, in Bayelsa State has been rescheduled to Saturday the 18th day of April, 2015 in the following constituencies…”

    It was gathered that the political parties and their candidates insisted on the postponement because of irregularities ‎in the ballot papers for the constituencies.

    It was further learnt that the number of ballot papers sent to the constituencies was inadequate.

    INEC was said to have sent only 13,000 ballot papers out of 27000 to Southern Ijaw Constituency.

    Also, it was learnt that 5000 ballot papers were available at the headquarters of the Ekeremor ‎Constituency 3, instead of 15,000 ballot papers.

  • Sea robbers attack passenger boat in Bayelsa

    Sea robbers attack passenger boat in Bayelsa

    Gunmen suspected to be sea robbers attacked a passenger boat conveying politicians to Twon Brass, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, for the House of Assembly election scheduled on Saturday.

    It was gathered that the robbers abducted five aides to the Deputy Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Chief Sam Ateki, and whisked them away to an unknown place.

    Other passenger boats at the time of the attack including the boat conveying the State Chairman of the Nigerian Union Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Tare Akono, were said to have escaped the scene unhurt.

    A creek woman fishing around the area reportedly prevented incoming vessels from running into the robbers.

    An eyewitness who identified himself Tonye said:  “The sea pirates were heavily armed and shot sporadically to scare the boat driver. The boat was filled with passengers made up of members of the Twon Brass PDP and aides to the Deputy Speaker.”

    Akono, also confirmed that the boat conveying them to Brass escaped narrowly following timely information from a woman in the area.

    “When she saw our boat moving to the scene of the attack, she quickly informed us and we turned back and hid at Okoroma community until after the sea pirate operation,” he said.

    It was gathered that the activities of the sea robbers prevented many voters from traveling to their communities to participate in today’s poll.

    But the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Asinim Butswat, confirmed the attack on the passenger boat but denied that the PDP Chieftain were abducted.

    “Yes, it was a case of sea pirate attack and no life was lost. The sea pirates only dispossessed their victims of mobile phones, cash and other personal effects. They were not kidnapped,” he said.

  • Bayelsa loses lawmaker

    A member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Obedient Emoto, is dead.

    He was aged 59

    Emoto who represented Ogbia Constituency II in Ogbia Local Government Area died on Tuesday at a hospital in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, following health complications.

    His friend of 20 years and former acting Governor of the state, Chief Nestor Binabo, confirmed the development describing his death as tragic and devastating.

    The late lawmaker who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost a second term ticket in controversial circumstances last year.

    Some of his constituents described him as a selfless and honest lawmaker while others referred to him as a man of outstanding integrity.

    His friends also said the late lawmaker who hailed from Ologi community in Ogbia, had outstanding leadership qualities.

  • Bayelsa Rep hails Buhari, Jonathan

    Bayelsa Rep hails Buhari, Jonathan

    A member representing Sagbama-Ekeremor Federal Constituency in the House Representatives, Dr. Stella Dorgu, Thursday saluted President Goodluck Jonathan for his uncommon show of sportsmanship after losing the Saturday’s election to Gen. Muhammadu, Buhari (retd).

    Dorgu who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, further hailed Buhari for his success and appealed to him to be magnanimous in victory.

    She said the President by conceding defeat immediately demonstrated his love and commitment to the unity of Nigeria.

    Dorgu said President Jonathan had made the Ijaw proud and changed people’s negative perception against the ethnic group.

    She said the posture of the President had paved the way for a peaceful transition for the continuity of democracy in the country.

    “I salute his courage and magnanimity. I also salute Governor Seriake Dickson for keeping the Bayelsa PDP family together.

    “We will now enter another phase of political development that will make us stronger strategically. We need to work in unity for good governance in Bayelsa State and Nigeria as a whole,”she said.

  • Tension in Bayelsa as banks lock out customers

    There was tension yesterday in some parts of Bayelsa State, especially, Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Many people did not open  their business premises. Roads were deserted as residents were glued to their television sets to hear the final verdict from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Banks were closed to customers, as people were advised to use ATMs.

    The banks claimed they had a security report that there would be violence if the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), wins.

    A bank official, who spoke in confidence, said the banks got a security report mandating them to close their branches because of tension in the state.

    A top security source confirmed that security operatives had been put on the alert.

    He added that security agencies had taken measures to heighten security around major oil facilities and pipelines.

    “There were insinuations that if President Goodluck Jonathan loses, aggrieved persons will register their grievances by violent protest. But security agencies have been put on the alert about a possible breach of the peace,” he said.

  • 200,000 shun polls in Bayelsa

    As expected, President Goodluck Jonathan and candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday presidential election won Bayelsa, his home state.

    However, the difference between registered and accredited voters in the state showed that 200,000 persons failed to vote.

    The results declared by the state’s Collation Officer and Vice-Chancellor, University of Port – Harcourt, Rivers State, Prof.  Joseph Ajienka, showed that Jonathan won in all the eight local government areas.

    Jonathan scored 391,201 to defeat the All Progressive Congress (APC) opponent, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who polled, 5,195 votes.

    A breakdown of the results showed that in Kolokuma/Opokuma, PDP scored 20,633 while APC got 402.

    In Nembe, PDP, 60,950, APC, 557; Ekeremor, PDP 61,012, APC 374; Yenagoa, PDP 45,439, APC 462.

    Also, Jonathan polled 50,754 in Ogbia, his local government area while Buhari was said to have scored only 214 votes.

    Others are Sagabama, PDP, 41,221, APC 361; Brass, PDP 31,312, APC 1,968 and Southern Ijaw, PDP 79,898, APC 5,194.

    Statistics revealed that many registered voters in some local gobernment areas did not participate in the elections.

    For instance out of the 133,442 registered voters in Yenagoa Local Government Area, only 51,577 showed up for accreditation.

    The situations were the same in Kolokuma-Opokuma, Nembe, Ekeremor and Ogbia where 13,785, 29,238, 14,451 and 13,389 persons respectively refused to participate in the exercise.