Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson on Tuesday tendered a video evidence in support of the allegation of the killings and election violence that rocked the conduct of last Saturday’s governorship election in Nembe local government area and some parts of the state.
Governor Dickson tendered the evidence in support of his argument during a world press conference held at the Dappa Biriyari Conference Hall. Government House, Yenagoa.
He blamed the Army for aiding and abetting crimes and criminality during the just concluded election which he described as a charade in Nembe, Ogbia, Southern Ijaw and some parts of the state.
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The Governor, who was speaking for the first time after the conduct of the election noted with dismay the involvement of the Army in the killings of some members of the PDP, colluding with APC members to stuff and hijack ballots as well as the declaration of results by INEC even in the areas where election did not hold.
“What took place was not democratic election. It was a military coup. It was the height of conspiracy by the Federal government and security agency to subvert the democratic rights of our people for the sole purpose foisting the APC on the people”
“It has never been like this before. In 2015, it wasn’t as bad as this. In this case not only was the Army directed to take over our place, but to collide with the Army and the APC thugs to unleash terror on our people”
Governor Dickson maintained that the PDP won the last Saturday election, adding that the military acted on the dictate of former Gov. Timipre Sylva to rig the election in favour of the APC
He said that “the politicization of security agencies is the beginning of failure of the country because we want to satisfy the vengeful thirst of Sylva who feels that he is in now in power and now has to use force and power to intimidate the people”.
He expressed grave fears that the APC has demonstrated it’s desperation to take the South-South states by force of, noting that the desecration of Nigeria’s democracy is a dress rehearsal of what is going to play out in 2023.
He said if this was not checked, he saw Nigeria gravitating towards a full one-party state and how our democracy would survive remains to be seem.
He said if the APC gubernatorial candidate, David Lyon had won without bloodshed, violence, brazen manipulation and intimidation of voters, he and the PDP standard-bearer, Senator Douye Diri would have called him to congratulate him on his victory .
Fielding questions from newsmen, he said he was the only governor of Bayelsa state that has managed the state in opposition confronting people who have very little regard for the lives of the people.
He said the notion of disagreement among stakeholders in the party is easier said than proven as there was never going to be anytime that the
Governor Dickson described the alleged media reports of the visit of the APC leaders to former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s Yenagoa home as a decoy to present the former president in bad light.
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“My reaction is that President Jonathan remains a leader of our country. He is at liberty to receive members of any political party but in the context of all that is going on I know that the insinuations is not misplaced. APC came to Bayelsa to take his States and people by force. With the comments they are making about him, Oshiomhole coning to Bayda to praise Jonathan. hallelujah. What they were doing is laying the foundation to”
“No politician has stood by Jonathan more than me. They simply used his name and image to legitimize an illegitimacy. I can see the strategic content. They used the Jonathan to expand the notion of disagreement and after the rigging to go to him like Pontius is hands to wash off their hands and put it at his doorsteps to say he sanctioned it…But let’s accord him the right to meet with other dignitaries”
