Dickson, APC leaders’ trade words on electoral violence, killings 

TRACKING>>Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, Monday accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the killings and other forms of violence that occurred in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Briefing journalists in Government House, Yenagoa, Dickson lamented that at least three persons, one in Nembe-Bassambiri and two in Southern Ijaw, were killed with many people across the state sustaining injuries.

The visibly angry governor alleged that security agencies especially troops of the Nigerian Army, colluded with the APC leaders to kill the victims, who were members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He said thugs loyal to APC unleashed mayhem on polling units across the state under the watch of soldiers adding that troops were responsible for the act of terrorism against innocent voters by thugs.

The governor particularly accused a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, a surveillance contractor, a former National Deputy Publicity Secretary, APC, Yekini Nabena and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, of leading assaults against voters in the state.

He alleged that Sylva and the surveillance contractor in connivance with soldiers unleashed pre-election violence on Nembe-Bassambiri by shooting into the community throughout Friday night.

He said the shooting continued in the morning while thugs loyal to them abducted INEC officials and took them to a hotel where they thumb-printed all the ballot papers meant for the seven wards in Nembe-Bassambiri.

He said INEC in the state had done nothing about it despite text messages sent to the Resident Electoral Commissioner by one of the INEC officials abducted by the thugs.

The governor alleged that the APC was making efforts to transmit “the unlawful results” to the INEC and appealed to the commission to reject the overtures since according to him no elections held in Nembe-Bassambiri.

He asked the people of Nembe-Bassambiri to rise against the development and promised to lead a protest against attempts to subvert and undermine the will of the people.

The governor further alleged that Brambaifa came with about 50 soldiers to disrupt elections in Agbere, adding that they deliberately scattered all the votes when they saw they were losing.

Dickson claimed that Nabena was arrested with arms at Odi by soldiers but was later released after security agencies received orders from above.

He said: “I am telling the people of Bassambiri not to accept this and they have my support. Bassambiri has to be freed. I am calling on the leaders of Bassambiri not to allow this nonsense to persist in that proud land. For us we will not accept this.

“I have had cause to issue several statements on this. I will lead demonstrations and protests aimed at vindicating the democratic rights of the people of Bassambiri. I shall do so. I call on the REC to drop his lilly-liver and wear the garb of an electoral umpire in the state.

“Because if you allow Sylva to take several electoral materials, lock the place down by force of illegal arms with soldiers and others conniving with them, then what you are telling politicians is that votes are not important”.

He said there were efforts by thugs loyal to the APC to storm the Sagbama collation centre and manipulate the results in his local government areas.

On the killings, he promised to set up a judicial commission of enquiries to look into the roles played by leaders and security agencies in the elections.

But he added: “A preliminary report that I have indicated that they were killed by soldiers. They were not killed by thugs. The chieftain of our party who was in house waiting for the results to be collated and announced but an APC leader who had access to solders went and pointed at them and they just shot them.

“I believe that the full circumstances will be unraveled. But I feel very sad. Nobody should die in an election. If you defeat my candidate, I will even congratulate you. We are not enemies to kill ourselves. It’s so sad.”

The governor, however, praised the electoral process in Brass and Ekeremor, saying for the first time in the history of the state, the people were allowed to cast their votes in peaceful atmosphere.

In their reactions Brambaifa and Nabena denied the allegations against them by the governor saying they were never in breach of the electoral process.

Nabena said he was never arrested with arms and asked the governor and other persons making the allegations to present the weapons found on him by security agents.