An election monitoring group, Transparency Initiatives, has accused the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, of alleged excessive show of desperation to win the Brass Constituency 2 State House of Assembly elections with a clear attempt to compromise the electoral officials in the area.
According to the group, though the election is clearly between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Austin Adigio from Okpoama and incumbent lawmaker, Timi Agala-Omubo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who hails from Ewoama, Chief Sylva has allegedly engaged in a show of force in his bid to manipulate the results from Okpoama and Ewoama using INEC ad hoc staff.
The group, led by Dr. Charles Otabor, while speaking on the reports received from monitors who covered Brass/Nembe Local Government Areas of the State, said though the election materials arrived the constituency early and voting concluded despite threats to PDP members, “the journalists and election observers were shocked that the Minister of Petroleum allegedly ordered that polling unit results should not be announced.”
Reports indicate that results for polling units 003, 006, 008, 009,
011, 015 in Okpoama were taken away without sorting and counting.
“Attempts to get security agencies to prevail on the Minister to do the right thing were rebuffed. Some journalists informed us that Sylva has suddenly returned to his old ways of manipulating results of election, which has become old fashioned following the new electoral law and the introduction of BVAS.
“Suspected thugs loyal to the APC were earlier seen intimidating voters with stern warning to those who wanted to vote PDP in his Okpoama community and neighbouring Ewoama.
“The Minister is alleged to have also held meetings with some INEC officials deployed to Okpoama, which is the constituency headquarters where the final collation and announcement would be done.
“The desperation of the Minister might not be unconnected to the woeful outing of his party in the last Presidential and elections in the State.
“His agents have therefore mounted pressure on the electoral officials to get the results from the communities in the constituency, namely Okpoama, Ewoama, Odioma and Lieama in favour of his party. The Minister however needs to be reminded that the days of election manipulation and rigging were over with the new technology introduced by INEC.”
