Dec. 5 governorship poll: Transition Monitoring Group deploys over 325 observers to Bayelsa

NEDU MARK, Yenagoa

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has said it plans to deploy over 325 election observers for the Bayelsa State governorship poll, scheduled for Saturday, December 5 in the state.

The group said it will deploy the election observers across the eight local government areas of the state.

Chairman TMG, Mr Ibrahim Zikirul, who stated this at a pre-election news conference in Yenagoa, explained that 300 of the observers will be stationary while 25 will be mobile on election day.

Zikirul also said that TMG will use its Quick Count Election observation methodology to independently verify the official results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“TMG’s Quick Count for the December 5, 2015 Bayelsa Governorship elections will involve deploying 300 carefully selected trained and accredited citizen observers to a representative random sample of 300 out of 1,804 polling units in all eight LGAs.

“The citizen observers will witness the entire election day process from set-up of the pooling unit through the announcement and posting of the official results.

“Throughout the course of the day, TMG’s citizen observers will send in reports in near real time via coded text message using their mobile phones to a National Information Centre (NIC) located in Yenagoa,”

He said that TMG has been observing the electoral process leading to December 5 elections by deployment of long term pre-election observers to each of the eight LGA.

TMG had observed from the pre-election report indicated that there were high risks of election

violence in Kolokuma/Opokuma, Nembe, Southern Ijaw and Yenagoa LGAs.

“TMG recommends that the Police and other security agencies should pay particular attention to risks of violence in Kolokuma/Opokuma, Nembe, Southern Ijaw and Yenagoa LGAs.

“TMG calls on candidates to denounce hate speech and acts of violence, most especially destruction carried out by their own supporters and commit to campaign on issue-based platforms.

“Furthermore candidates should hold their supporters and party members responsible for engaging in violence or hate speech.

“TMG hereby calls on the candidates in the Bayelsa governorship election to adhere to the letter and spirit of the November 10, Bayelsa Peace Accord,”

He also noted that TMG pre-election observers have reported increased participation of women in the electoral process in Bayelsa with women actively engaged in canvassing for votes.