Bayelsa poll: NGO preaches against violence, vote buying on election day

Coalition for Development and Democracy in Bayelsa (CDDB), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has admonished political parties to refrain from violence or monetary inducement in the November 16 governorship election in the state.

The Executive Director, CDDB, Mr Konrad Ekiyor Welson, gave the admonition in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), on Monday, in Yenagoa, and advised the parties to do more in the area of education of electorate.

Welson was quoted to have spoken at a voter education exercise against violence, rigging and ballot snatching in communities in the Sagbama Local government area, organised in partnership with INEC

He said that the parties should convince the electorate to vote for their candidates through their vision, mission and manifestoes, declaring how to develop the state.

ALSO READ: Makinde vs Adelabu: Confusion as APC, PDP celebrate Appeal Court ruling in Oyo

The group also charged security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor leaders and members of the political parties before, during and after the election to prevent engagement in election malpractice.

He said the voter education exercise took the CDDB team to Ofoni, Anagalabiri, Toru-Orua, Ogobiri, Ebedebiri, Sagbama, Tungbo, Tungbabiri, Angiama, Agbere and Odoni communities.

Welson commended INEC in the state for partnering with NGOs and CSOs in carrying out the voter education exercise and appealed to political parties and the state government to emulate INEC.

Responding, voters in all the communities expressed their readiness to come out en masse to vote and condemned any form of violence before, during and after the election.

NAN