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Tag: Moses Cleopas

  • PDP to Buratai: probe electoral violence in Bayelsa

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State has appealed to the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai to investigate the violence that occurred in the state during the last general elections.

    The party alleged that some army officials directly participated in the elections and called on the military to redeem its image by probing incidents linked to them.

    Speaking at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa, the Chairman of PDP, Moses Cleopas, said the activities of the army deployed in Brass, Nembe and Southern Ijaw, should be queried by the military.

    He wondered why the army had not kept sealed lips on the killing of two PDP members without provocation by soldiers.

    Cleopas lamented that PDP members were prime targets during the elections describing situation as unhealthy.

    He further took a swipe at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, saying wondering why the commission declared constituencies won by PDP candidates inconclusive.

    Cleopas, however, described victory of some candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as temporary and vowed that his party would retrieve them in courts.

    He said PDP won all the seats in areas where proper elections were conducted while the APC allegedly manipulated the process in cohort with the military and INEC to win few seats in the state.

    The party boss said that in Nembe all PDP members were chased away from Bassambiri, where APC candidates were declared winners.

    He said: “The PDP won everywhere in Bayelsa and in places where the APC has been declared winners, we will reclaim our mandate”.

    READ ALSO: Dickson seeks probe of election violence

    In Ekeremor constituency 1, Cleopas said a chieftain of the APC invaded the area with soldiers and forced INEC field officials to alter results under duress.

    He said: The APC chieftain came with military men and doctored results and forced INEC to change results to the advantage of his party. This will not stand.

    “Nembe 2 and 3, Bassambiri was taken over by hoodlums. They chased away all PDP members from the community. Policeman who went there to maintain the peace were driven out by the APC in that area. They wrote results. There was no proper elections there.

    “In the areas declared inconclusive, in Ogbia constituency 2, we were winning before military men came and carted away materials in Otuokpoti Same in Brass constituency 2 and Southern Ijaw 4, it was pure abracadabra,” he alleged.

    “We are going back for the inconclusive polls, but a situation where armed military men were used to harass our people cannot be tolerated.”

    The PDP chairman said he had a personal experience where military men whisked away INEC officials who were just rounding off elections and named a senior military officer as the culprit.

    “It is on this note that we call on on the Chief of Army Staff to investigate the activities of his officers and men in Bayelsa because it has become recurrent that army men now chase PDP members,” he said.

  • Dickson accuses military of terrorism

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson on Monday accused military of operating as a terror force, alleging it played ignoble roles in the last Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

    Dickson, who made the allegation while presenting flags to the party’s House of Assembly candidates in Yenagoa, accused the operatives of a coup against democracy.

    A statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, however said Dickson urged the people to turn out in their large numbers to vote for all PDP candidates despite intimidation and harassment by partisan security forces.

    The governor reiterated his call on the Federal Government to direct the security agencies to conduct themselves professionally and do what was right in the interest of peace, stability and democracy.

    His words: “The Nigerian nation has once again failed our people by preventing them not only from voting but also accessing their own homes in places like Nembe Bassambiri.

    “Even when we sent Civil Defence Corps and Mobile Police operatives to the community, the hoodlums and their supporters chased them away. I’m afraid that community is becoming a lawless society.

    “The last election that held just a few days ago, can best be described as a military coup against democracy in our state.

    ‘’I don’t expect anything less in this coming election too. But in spite of that we won in all the units, wards, and constituencies where election took place.

    “But let me assure you that the charade they organised in Nembe Bassambiri and Southern Ijaw will not stand. I urge PDP leaders not to fall prey to the propaganda and blackmail.”

    Dickson noted failure to adhere to the electoral guidelines would create instability in the state which would have a ripple effect in the entire Niger Delta region.

    According to the governor, no political party that is popular would resort to violence, rigging and winning elections through the barrel of the gun.

    Read Also: Dickson loses mother to cancer

    He stressed PDP demonstrated its dominance in the state by winning fair and square in all the places where elections held in the last presidential election.

    While appreciating Bayelsans for their support to the PDP, Dickson assured the party would not spare any effort in recovering its stolen mandate.

    The Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd), described what happened in Nembe Bassambiri in the last election, as barbaric and shameful.

    Jonah, who said the area is presently under siege by APC sponsored hoodlums, noted that PDP members and their supporters were being prevented from accessing the community.

    The Senator-elect for Bayelsa Central Douye Diri and his House of Representatives counterpart, Chief Fred Agbedi thanked the people for re-electing them.

    They however called on the people to remain steadfast in their support to the PDP and assured them of a better representation.

    The State Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Moses Cleopas, expressed sadness over the killing and harassment of its members in the February 23rd election.

     

  • Bayelsa APC stockpiling arms to win elections, says PDP

    Allegation spurious to divert attention – APC

     

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa State chapter, at the weekend, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of stockpiling arms in the state as part of its preparations for the 2019 general election.

    The state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Moses Cleopas, alleged in a statement that the leaders of the APC in Bayelsa, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, were assembling weapons to cause violence during the elections.

    But the APC in a separate statement signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, described the allegation as spurious and an attempt by the PDP to divert people’s attention from its plot to use violence in the election.

    Cleopas said that the PDP leadership raise the alarm to draw the attention of security agencies to the  plot of the APC leaders, whose activities he said led to the death of several innocent people in the last election in 2015.

    He called on security agencies to investigate the sinister activities of the APC members to prevent a repeat of the mayhem and bloodletting that characterized the 2015 election.

    He said that the PDP was not surprised by the strategy of violence adopted by the APC leaders because they promised President Muhammadu Buhari that they would deliver Bayelsa to him even when they lacked the support base and capacity to do so.

    Cleopas said that the PDP remained the party of Bayelsans and was ready to participate in a free, fair and credible election.

    He said: “It has come to the attention of the PDP that the leaders of the APC, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, are leading other members of the party to stockpile arms to cause mayhem in our state.

    Read Also: Bayelsa warns youths against electoral violence, crimes

    “We are not surprised that the APC is contemplating this strategy of violence after having boasted to their leader, President  Buhari, that they would deliver Bayelsa when they are unpopular and have no support base to achieve that.

    “Bayelsans are already aware of the violent reputation of these so called leaders as clearly shown by the orgy of violence they unleashed on innocent citizens in the last election.

    “That is why we are sounding this warning early enough so that the security agencies can quickly wade into this matter and investigate this arms build-up, with a view to arresting those who are behind the planned mayhem.

    “The PDP is prepared for free, fair and credible election devoid of violence, bloodshed and the death of any Bayelsan. The APC should do the same as the ruling party.

    “We want the security agencies to investigate it, we don’t want a repeat of the violence of 2015.”

    Cleopas said that the PDP would not keep silent about the looming violence in the state following arms buildup.

    He said that the leadership of the security agencies had a responsibility to treat the issue with the deserving seriousness to avoid loss of lives.

    “The PDP will not keep quiet over this impending anarchy being planned by the APC for the general elections. We call on the authorities to take this critical issue seriously as it is linked to the Lives of innocent people”, he said.

    In a swift reaction, APC described the alarm as an attempt to prevent people from discovering the truth about another orgy of violence being planned by the PDP.

    Buokoribo said the ruling PDP in the state was planning a reenactment of the electoral violence its members unleashed on APC supporters in 2015 with the personal participation of Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The statement said: “We would have ignored the infantile allegation deployed in the characteristically unintelligible style of PDP in the state under Governor Seriake Dickson.

    “But we are constrained to respond just to warn our people, the good people of Bayelsa, to be wary of Dickson and his gang at a time like this. Their strategy has not changed – flying spurious allegations against the APC to try to divert attention from their demonic plots. What is uncertain is the manner of evil they want to unleash on the people this time.

    “There is an umpteen frantic attempt by the Dickson syndicate to keep the change-inclined masses of Bayelsa bound under a colourless administration bereft of imagination.

    “And the only way they can achieve that is by visiting violence on the electorate. The latest alarm, in their usual manner, is yet another dress rehearsal for the impending violence.

    “The whole world saw it in 2015, when Dickson personally led thugs to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Yenagoa and other places around the state to supervise the intimidation of electoral officers and APC agents as well as direct the manhandling of innocent citizens.

    “It would be recalled that allegations quite similarly worded as the latest by PDP preceded that incident that resulted in the loss of lives. APC members were the major victims of that madness by PDP in 2015.

    “Having started with blood, Dickson wants to end with blood, hence the latest practice before the untoward event. His pitiful attempt at a cover-up of his crimes only makes him more of a laughingstock.

    “Bayelsans are not as foolish as Dickson thinks they are. They have since realised the devilish motives beneath his usual alarms, and they are prepared to confront him and his ungodly gang of lawless elements head-on.

    “APC is a peaceful party of peaceful and development-oriented people. We shall remain so, despite being victims of PDP violence, and will remain committed to seeking justice only through lawful means.

    “We call on the security agencies to follow the obvious lead by Dickson and his people in order to nip in the bud whatever nefarious plans they may have up their sleeve”.

  • No endorsement for any presidential aspirant – Bayelsa PDP

    The Bayelsa State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it had no preferred presidential aspirant for the 2019 general election.

    The party said all PDP aspirants were free to visit the state to seek support from the members and leadership of the party.

    The party made its position known following the Tuesday’s visit of former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to consult the state Governor, Seriake Dickson over his presidential ambition.

    The state Chairman of the Party, Chief Moses Cleopas, said in a statement that the position of the party on presidential aspirants was endorsed by Dickson.

    He said is that the party would receive all aspirants and accord each of them the respect, hospitality and the courtesy they deserved.

    He stressed that while it was the position of the party to receive and hold consultative talks with all aspirants, the party in the state would not endorse any particular candidate before the convention.

    Read Also: Gunmen kill three soldiers in Bayelsa

    Cleopas explained that after receiving all the aspirants the party stakeholders would collectively take a decision on endorsement at the PDP convention.

    He said: “The Bayelsa State chapter of the PDP will receive all presidential aspirants under the platform of the party. The party in Bayelsa will ensure that all presidential aspirants are treated fairly with the respect and courtesy they deserve.

    “However, it is the position of the state chapter of the party that there would be no endorsement of any particular candidate before the convention.

    “The position of the state would be decided collectively and expressed at the convention ground.”

    Cleopas said that it was encouraging that people of integrity with the requisite political clout were aspiring to run for the Presidency in the 2019 election on the platform of the PDP.

    He said that the PDP had the strength to wrest political power from the APC in 2019, with its vast spread and visible presence in all the 774 local government areas and every ward in the country.

    The party chairman who stressed that Bayelsa is a PDP State thanked the leaders and members of the party for turning out en mass to receive one of the Presidential Aspirants,  Atiku Abubakar at a very shot notice and encouraged them to do same for other aspirants.

  • Riot: Dickson to meet with leaders of varsity community

    APC, PDP trade words 

     

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has scheduled a meeting with leaders of of Amassoma, host community to the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) following a violent protest that claimed some lives and injured others in the area.

    Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Agbo, said the meeting was sequel to the unfortunate and avoidable destruction of public and private property, the breakdown of law and order, as well as the reported loss of lives in Amassoma.

    He named persons invited to attend the meeting as the Ibenanaowei of Ogboin Kingdom and his Council of Chiefs, the Amananaowei of Amassoma and his Council of Chiefs, representatives of the Community Development Committee (CDC) and a select leaders of the Amassoma community, including the women and youth leaders.

    The statement warned that late comers would not be allowed into the venue of the parley scheduled for May 25 at the Governor’s Conference Hall in Government House, Yenagoa.

    But the People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC) continued to attack each other following the violence in NDU.

    PDP accused the APC of plotting to destroy the NDU, a legacy  of late forner Governor Diepreye Alamiyeiseigha.

    The PDP alleged that the opposition party in the state was  a band of cultists, mischief makers and unscrupulous elements masquerading as party members.

    The PDP said that the Bayelsa APC hounded the pioneer civilian governor of the state, Alamieyeseigha to his untimely death and was planting insecurity in his community to destroy his biggest legacy.

    The state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Moses Cleopas, said in a statement that declaration by the APC that the attackers of security operatives deployed to maintain peace and security in the NDU were their party officials only exposed the APC as a party of criminals.

    Read Also: 2019: Dickson seeks restraint in use of power

    Cleopas said that the APC statement showed that the party organized and sponsored the hoodlums and cultists who unleashed unprovoked mayhem on security operatives, the people of Amassoma and the Niger Delta University on Tuesday.

    He lamented that an APC faction hijacked complaints emanating from the ongoing implementation of the public sector reforms to cause mayhem in the community and the university in a failed bid to discredit the PDP government in the state.

    The PDP Chairman said that it amounted to sheer absurdity for the APC faction to mastermind attacks on the university because of the decision of its governing council and management to retire personnel most of who are between the ages of 65, 70 80 and above.

    But the APC in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary-elect, Doifie Buokoribo condemned as callous the attempts by the PDP-led government to justify the killing of protesters by the police in Amassoma on the excuse that the victims were cultists and hoodlums.

    APC queried the criteria adopted by the government to designate people as criminals and extra-judicially direct their killing.

    The party said the government by the statement and its attitude to the killings “simply confirmed our belief that ‘the victims were deliberately targeted in a way that shows he is completely destitute of human feeling”.

    The party said Dickson’s deceptive statement on the Amassoma killings ran contrary to every news report on the incident, stressing that no amount of lies could wash off the blood of the victims on the government’s hands.

    The statement said: “After a lot of twisting and turning, PDP on Wednesday acknowledged the truth that those it sent the police to shoot and kill in Amassoma were protesters.

    “But unable to find a reasonable ground for its act, PDP lied that the victims were cultists and hoodlums. The Nigeria Police in Bayelsa contradicted the government’s account in its statement on Wednesday, when it maintained that what they met in Amassoma were a crowd of protesters.

    “What we do know is that under our laws, the people have an inalienable right to peaceful agitation, a right which the residents of Amassoma were exercising on that black Tuesday when they were mowed down by the police.

    “All major news reports that day on the incident confirm this. The government attempt to justify the killing of the protesters is the height of callousness against the very people he claims to have the mandate to protect and provide for. No amount of lies can cleanse the blood of the victims on his hands.

    “The government’s position that the people must die because they are APC members also runs against moral and democratic thinking. It has simply confirmed our belief that ‘the victims were deliberately targeted in a way that shows a complete lack of emotion”.