By Bimbo Ogunnaike
Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has said the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Bayelsa State under the chairmanship of Mahmood Yakubu, was a military coup against the nation’s democracy.
Dickson, also reiterated his rejection on the outcome of the November 16th Governorship election that threw up the flagbearer of the All Congress (APC), Chief David Lyon as Governor-Elect.
According to him, the just-concluded governorship election in the state was a democratic coup perpetrated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against Bayelsans, calling on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters to remain calm as moves are on to reclaim the mandate of the people at the Election Petition Tribunal.
Gov. Seriake Dickson, who made his position known at press conference held at the State Government Lodge, said “So, today, I’m here to lend my voice to all that had been said already, and it was so brazen. It has never been like this in this state before, I know that in 2015, we went through a very tough time.
“There was high display of federal might, but at least, it was not as bad as this, this year, not only was the Nigerian Army directed to take over our state, not only did the police who claimed that they have over thirty thousand men and officers on ground were looking the other way while our people were held down in Nembe and no step was taken.
“Either to protect the people or to hold those who did that dastardly act responsible, that was the first time that people were mowed down and killed, some ribs open in Nembe, and thrown into the river, up till now no arrest, we know that APC leaders plotted and carried out that acts.
“Voters did not have the courage to go out and vote in Nembe, and yet you saw the results that were turned in from Nembe, and INEC, which has invested so much resources, not task payers money, but our oil money never bothered about the processes but accepted and collated the votes from Nembe, where no voting take place, people were gathered together, INEC officials held at gunpoint and they were thumb printing, so what took place in Bayelsa was not an election, it was a carefully planned federally executed operations,” he said.
He pointed out that PDP and its candidate, Senator Douye Diri never lost any election, but that the All Progressives Congress (APC) used its federal might to hijack the process.
The governor, who also disclosed that he will set up a transition committee to work out modalities for the smooth transition of power in the state come February 14, 2020, said that with the way the last weekend election was hijacked, the people of the state were denied the rights to vote for the governor of their choice.
“Our candidate, Senator Douye Diri and the party Chairman have been speaking about the charade called ‘Election’ that took place in Bayelsa last Saturday, and the invasion of our state by security forces of our country and about the dehumanization of our people and how the majority of the areas and in places, where our people were denied the rights to vote for the governor of their choice.
“The story is all out there that what took place in Bayelsa on the 16 and 17 of November was not a democratic election, it was a military coup against our democracy, it was the height of conspiracy by the federal government and the security agencies and with the umpire (INEC) colluding and enabling in most cases the subversion of the democratic rights of our people for the sole purpose of achieving a pre-determined conclusion, I think that the story is all out,”Dickson said
“I need to commend the peaceful people of Bayelsa, I know our people have been mourning, forget the stage-managed series of celebrations by few APC supporters, but in general, our people are in mourning, our dignity has been invaded and ravaged, with the complicity of the institutions, which by the law and the constitution are there to give credible and peaceful election,” he added.
