AGAINST the backdrop of the cancelled governorship election in
Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, 11 governorship
candidates in the poll have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to
check the undue interference of his aides in the exercise by calling
them to order.
Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, yesterday, the candidates, under the
aegis of United Governorship Candidates for Credible Elections, alleged
that some high ranking political office holders in the federal
government were the unseen hands who manipulated the electoral process
and did everything to skew the election in favour of their preferred
candidate.
Political parties whose candidates were present at the briefing
include, Social Democratic Party, SDP; African Peoples Alliance, APA;
Mega Progressives Peoples Party, MPPP; Progressives Peoples Alliance,
PPA; Peoples Democratic Congress, PDC; Citizens Popular Party, CPP;
Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN; United Peoples Party, UPP; New Nigeria
Peoples Party, NNPP; Democratic Peoples Party, DPP; and KOWA.
Governorship candidate of United Peoples Party, UPP, William Berezi,
who read the signed statement on behalf of the group, also condemned the
spate of violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, and called
for the deployment of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG,
Hashimu Argungun and immediate transfer of the state Police
Commissioner, Mr. Nasiru Oki, over their alleged activities during the
elections.
Berezi said: “ In the spirit of fairness, as a factor of the
appalling situation we saw in Southern Ijaw in particular, we hereby
call on the military high command in Abuja to withdraw all soldiers
deployed to provide security in that local government area.
“It can only be a fair comment if Mr. President tells the Minister of
Defence and the Chief of Army Staff that what they are doing in Bayelsa
state is wrong and should be condemned.
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