PDP hails INEC for declaring Brass Assembly polls inconclusive

NEDU MARK, YENAGOA

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bayelsa State has hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for reversing last Saturday’s Assembly polls result declared in favor of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, the candidate inconclusive

Election to the state Assembly were held over the weekend in Brass Constituency 2 and INEC declared an APGA candidate winner, but PDP leadership said the result was erroneously declared in favor of AGPA by INEC

INEC had declared Assembly polls in Brass Constituency 2 inconclusive in the previous election, paving way for a fresh poll last weekend in the same troubled area.

Brass local government Area had been a strong hold of ex governor Timipre Sylva who is now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, even as the current deputy Governor of the state, John Jonah also comes from same part of the state.

The party, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Barrister Osom Makbere said, “PDP commends the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in the State for doing what was right, proper and fair by reversing last weekend’s rescheduled State House of Assembly polls in Brass Constituency Two, which had erroneously been declared in favor of the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. ”

The statement said further that “stories making the rounds that Governor Seriake Dickson influenced the decision of the electoral umpire to declare the result inconclusive,” was untrue.

Makbere blamed an APC legislator, Mr. Israel Sunny Goli and his State Chairman, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe for allegedly mobilizing armed thugs to beat up an NYSC ad hoc staff and other officials of INEC at Ewoama community on the Brass Island.

The party spokesman also alleged that the officials were on their way to the collation centre to submit the results of some of the polling units, perceived to be strongholds of the PDP when they were attacked.

He said that the PDP expressed total disappointment with the action of Hon. Sunny Goli, who is an elected member of the State assembly for always resorting to violence and brigandage, without any regards to the electoral act, stressing that, it was high time such actions are stopped.

He equally blamed the security agencies for not being proactive, even after the PDP had raised an early alarm that the APC State Chairman was on his way to the area.

He insisted that APC mobilized ex militants and thugs in a gunboat to disrupt the electoral process, accusing the security personnel of compromising with the APC chieftains