Bayelsa poll: Using BVAS without codes unacceptable — Group

As the governorship election in Bayelsa State draws near, a group, the Pan Nigeria Democratic Alliance (PNDA), has has disclosed that conducting the poll using the Bimodal Voters Accreditation Machine System (BVAS) without the necessary codes will not be acceptable to Nigerians who crave credible and fair election.

Speaking through its Convener, Chief Olaitan Adewale, the group noted that with the world craving for good governance, only a credible process to elect leaders would make such leaders accountable to the people, as they would be put on their toes.

PDNA said it had the information that some unscrupulous politicians were already planning to clone the BVAS machines in their favour.

*We are using this opportunity to let Nigerians and the whole world know what some politicians are planning to do. They are seeking means to get the BVAS used for the coming governorship election in Bayelsa State without the necessary codes imputed into the machines. Their aim, we know, is that they are planning to manipulate the process in their favour.

“It is only a lazy worker that quarrels with his tools, it is only a politician who knows he cannot win in a free and fair contest that would be looking for short cuts to success. There is no room for such a thing. If a politician is not popular and not accepted by the people, he should gladly accept the verdict of the people.

“We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and its leadership, not to cave in to pressure from unscrupulous politicians to truncate the will of the people. The electoral umpire has promised credible polls in Bayelsa and we are all looking forward to that.

“Also, we use this medium to call on President Bola Tinubu not to allow some people to tarnish his political image and he should not support any step that is undemocratic. He should tell INEC not to allow any circumvention of the process. The whole world is looking at us.

“Good governance is strongly supported by credible electoral processes and when some people now see or think that the only way to go is subvert the process, that is unthinkable and unacceptable. 

“For those planning to execute a heinous crime like the one that has been exposed, our counsel to them is to jettison such a dream, a bad dream for that matter. They cannot play on the intelligence of the people. The people are ready to defend their votes. We also advise them to engage in activities that will promote democracy instead of engaging in undemocratic activities,” PDNA noted.

The group urged Bayelsans and indeed Nigerians, to be ready to expose anybody or group who would want to take them for a ride or stop them from expressing their views and make their choices in an election.

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