#BayelsaDecides: Dickson calls for cancellation of voting exercise in Southern Ijaw, other LGAs flawed with rigging

Incumbent governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has called for the cancellation of voting exercise in Nembe, Southern Ijaw and other parts of the state allegedly to have flawed by rigging, ballot box snatching, and brigandage.

Dickson, who cast his vote with his wife at Ward 2, Unit 5 at Toru-Orua in Sagbama Local Government Area at about 12:23pm on Saturday said INEC should “cancel the process in all the wards of all the LGAs, wards and units affected where materials have been stolen and hijacked, where officials have been maimed and held hostage to enable the APC to cook up non-existing figures.”

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He denounced the voting exercise as militarized to favour the APC governorship candidate, Mr David Lyon, allegedly ably masterminded by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva and the GOC 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, General Jamil Sarham, whom, he described as the Commander of the APC Rigging Machine.

Dickson said based on what transpired during the election, “what’s going on in Bayelsa in the name of election is not a democracy. The observers are everywhere and everyone knows what’s going on.

“I do not want to be pushed to the level of calling Bayelsans to defend and protect themselves.

“I’ll not want to do that. But there’s a limit to what the people can take in the hands of their brothers in the name of an election,” he warned.

He, therefore, called on President Muhammed Buhari to wake up and do something “even though he’s decided to look the other way since 2015 when Timipre Sylva, his right-hand man, to kill and terrorise our people.”

The governor also called on President Buhari “to call on the security forces especially the army to order.”

“I call on the IGP to be true to his professional calling and direct his DIGs and all the police officers to protect the people of Bayelsa State,” he pleaded.