The last has not been heard of the Bayelsa State governorship election, in spite of the declaration of governor Seriake Dickson, as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the All Progressive Congress, APC, candidate in the poll has said he would challenge the result in court.
Dickson was declared winner by INEC on Sunday in the election which was marred by violence and bloodletting.
Results announced by the returning officer for the Bayelsa governorship elections Zana Akpaogu, Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, indicated that Dickson polled 134, 998 votes against Sylva’s 86, 852.
However, Silva addressed the Press on Monday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, where he alleged that INEC and the PDP connived to rig the election for the ruling party in the state.
Silva, a former governor of the state, said that he had complained before the election that the leadership of INEC in the state could not conduct free and fair election as he said that it was set up to favour former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general elections.
“I said in the beginning that I do not have confidence in the REC and the Admin Secretary, that I do not expect a fair treatment if these people were to preside over the election.
“I said so over and over and over again. I even reduced it to writing, and we sent the petition. Usually before elections of this nature, the INEC officials are switched. But this time, they chose to keep this team that was already in place set up by the PDP as rigging machine,” Silva stated at the press briefing.
He noted that it was the same INEC team that conducted the governorship election “that returned almost 100 percent of all votes in Bayelsa to the former president” in the presidential poll held in April.
He accused INEC of cancelling results in places where APC won and allowing them in centres where the PDP won, arguing that the election should have been further declared inconclusive since about 53,000 votes were still outstanding as cancelled votes.
The APC candidate alleged further that the rigging of the election started when distribution of polling materials was done by vehicles provided by the PDP and that they were diverted.
Even as he threatened to head for the courts, Silva was advised by 14 out of the 20 political parties that fielded candidates during the election to accept the result and congratulate Dickson.
The political parties expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the January 9 supplementary poll and called on Sylva to join forces to move the state forward.
Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa chairman of Independent Democrat, ID, Prince Elemah, flanked by state chairmen of the other parties, commended INEC for providing a level playing ground for all candidates and political parties during the supplementary election.
The last has not been heard of the Bayelsa State governorship election, in spite of the declaration of governor Seriake Dickson, as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the All Progressive Congress, APC, candidate in the poll has said he would challenge the result in court.
Dickson was declared winner by INEC on Sunday in the election which was marred by violence and bloodletting.
Results announced by the returning officer for the Bayelsa governorship elections Zana Akpaogu, Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, indicated that Dickson polled 134, 998 votes against Sylva’s 86, 852.
However, Silva addressed the Press on Monday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, where he alleged that INEC and the PDP connived to rig the election for the ruling party in the state.
Silva, a former governor of the state, said that he had complained before the election that the leadership of INEC in the state could not conduct free and fair election as he said that it was set up to favour former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general elections.
“I said in the beginning that I do not have confidence in the REC and the Admin Secretary, that I do not expect a fair treatment if these people were to preside over the election.
“I said so over and over and over again. I even reduced it to writing, and we sent the petition. Usually before elections of this nature, the INEC officials are switched. But this time, they chose to keep this team that was already in place set up by the PDP as rigging machine,” Silva stated at the press briefing.
He noted that it was the same INEC team that conducted the governorship election “that returned almost 100 percent of all votes in Bayelsa to the former president” in the presidential poll held in April.
He accused INEC of cancelling results in places where APC won and allowing them in centres where the PDP won, arguing that the election should have been further declared inconclusive since about 53,000 votes were still outstanding as cancelled votes.
The APC candidate alleged further that the rigging of the election started when distribution of polling materials was done by vehicles provided by the PDP and that they were diverted.
Even as he threatened to head for the courts, Silva was advised by 14 out of the 20 political parties that fielded candidates during the election to accept the result and congratulate Dickson.
The political parties expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the January 9 supplementary poll and called on Sylva to join forces to move the state forward.
Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa chairman of Independent Democrat, ID, Prince Elemah, flanked by state chairmen of the other parties, commended INEC for providing a level playing ground for all candidates and political parties during the supplementary election.