BAYELSA State Governor Douye Diri has blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the state governorship election, Timipre Sylva, for violence in the Nembe/Bassambri Local Government Area.
He also alleged that members and agents of his party – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – were denied access to the area while casting his vote on Saturday, November 11.
“Our agents have been stopped from going into Nembe. Our party has written an official letter to the Chairman of INEC, and INEC has to take drastic action to ensure that our people are allowed to go in there and vote,” he said.
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He added: “We have been raising the issue of the violent character and person of Timipre Silva. Over the years, every election he is involved in, you experience violence. You experience lawlessness. Even in Nembe Bassambri, the name and the character behind what is happening is Timipre Silva. Timipre Silva has been a violent person in every election.
“You will recall also that his deputy governorship candidate in Twon Brass threatened the people of Twon Brass that if any of our party members come, they should be thrown into the Atlantic Ocean and that they are not the first people to die. You will agree that that pair is a violent pair, and that’s not what the people of Bayelsa deserve,” he said.
He called for special attention in Nembe Bassambri, urging INEC to ensure accreditation and use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation (BVA).
The governor, however, expressed satisfaction with the election process so far at the Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA.
Diri described the process as seamless while commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after he cast his vote at the polling unit 004, Sampou/Kalama ward.
“I think this is an improvement on all the other elections I have participated in. Very seamless, very fast, and if it continues like this, then I want to believe that INEC is improving on not only the facilities, the training of the personnel handling the process,” he said.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.