Bayelsa: Aggrieved political parties reject governorship result, threaten going to tribunal

By Aherhoke Okioma

All is not yet uhuru in Bayelsa State Creek Haven as aggrieved political parties that took part in the November 11 governorship election in the state have rejected the result in which INEC declared Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP ,winner having polled 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Timpere Sylva of the All progressives Congress, APC, who polled 110,108 votes.

They vowed to go to the election tribunal as they claimed the election was fraught with rigging, manipulation, vote buying and selling, killing, intimidation and outright connivance with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Addressing a joint press conference in Yenagoa, the state chairman of Social Democratic Party,SDP, Allen Domotimi Amadein posited that the party was not comfortable with the result announced, and alleged that INEC canceled results of All progressives Congress, APC, strongholds with 26,000 votes cancelled in Nembe and considered as vexatious the declaration of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as winner, which is a broad day robbery on democracy.

READ ALSO: Nigeria, Germany synergise on hydrogen sector.

The Social Democratic Party therefore rejected the result and called for it’s cancellation or re -run as they are not in support and ready to go to the tribunal to challenge the result declared.

Also speaking, Dr Joel Tubonemi, chairman of Nigeria People’s Party, NPP, said a new pattern has been introduced by INEC against it’s regulations , that is the allocation or apportioning of votes at will to political parties they considered minor, saying that as a political party, NPP is not a minor party as it has the same value and size with the so called big political parties.

He said NPP is not comfortable with the ugly newly introduced pattern and was poised to join forces with other political parties to go to the tribunal to seek redress, as the party has totally rejected the result unless it’s votes that were wrongly apportioned were restored.

In Southern Ijaw local government area, his party’s votes in ward 10 unit 21where his members voted massively were not recorded.

He vowed that until the right thing was done by INEC, they will not accept that result and after due consultation with the National office, their next line of action will be made know to the public.

Meanwhile,Mr Charles Oyibo of the Labour Party, averred that the party cannot gloss over the avalanche of irregularities and flagrant abuse of law and order as BVAS were by- passed after INEC has spent money to train ad- hoc staff and described what happened as electoral fraud and queried the results that were cancelled at INEC office in Yenagoa.

He also disclosed that, there were massive vote buying and selling as tax payers money were deployed for vote buying and inducement with foodstuffs and wrappers, video clips of he is ready to tender as evidence when required.

“This tax payers money would have been deployed to fund moribund industries dot the state.And called for outright cancellation of the results,” he said.

He said after due consultation with the national office, they will make the position of the party known.

According to the chairman of the National Rescue Movement, Williams Parker, the party was poised to rescue the state from hunger and underdevelopment, but the people were denied the opportunity to demonstrate that through the ballot box , and as an aggrieved persons they aligned with the cancellation of results , especially the three local government area, Brass, Southern Ijaw and Nembe.

He said INEC officials, such as the National Commissioner in charge of Bayelsa , Akwa Ibom and Edo states, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu knows the guidelines and connived with other officials to flagrantly disobey the laid down guidelines which will be challenged at the tribunal.

While Okala Azibaola of the People’s Redemption party , PRP, also lend credence to the cancellation and re – run of the entire results as they felt disappointed with INEC as he had on authority that ruling party , PDP, had an alliance with INEC officials.