The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the State for reversing the outcome of last weekend’s rescheduled State House of Assembly elections in Brass Constituency 2, which had erroneously been declared in favour of the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The party which debunked allegations that Governor Seriake Dickson influenced the decision of INEC to declare the result inconclusive, also blamed security agencies for not being proactive, even after the PDP has earlier raised an alarm that, the APC State Chairman was on his way to the area, with ex militants and thugs in a gunboat to disrupt the electoral process.
“The security personnel allowed themselves to be compromised”, PDP stated.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Publicity Secretary of PDP in Bayelsa State, Osom Makbere, accused the newly inaugurated member of the State legislature, Mr. Israel Sunny Goli of the All Progressives Congress and APC State Chairman, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, of allegedly precipitating electoral violence.
According to him, they armed and mobilized thugs, to beat up an NYSC ad hoc staff and other officials of INEC at Ewoama community in Brass Island, while they were on their way to the collation centre to submit the results of some of the polling units, perceived to be strongholds of the PDP.
He said, “Sunny Goli and Chief Orunimighe took the violent and barbaric step, having realized that, those results would have given outright victory to the PDP candidate, while also doctoring the results and forcing the returning officer for the assembly election to declare the APGA candidate as the winner, with the flimsy, orchestrated and unconfirmed report that, the election in those areas were marred by violence.
“The PDP expresses total disappointment with the action of Hon. Sunny Goli, who is an elected member of the State assembly for always resorting to violence and brigandage, without any regards to the electoral act. It is high time such actions are stopped.”