Bayelsa Governorship Case: Why APC Will Never Win At Any Level

The Bayelsa State Governorship election was held on Dec 5, 2015. INEC, unsatisfied with what happened in Southern/Ijaw and some units moved the elections in the affected areas to Dec 6, 2015. INEC saw maximum violence unleashed on the electorate especially by one Party. Consequently, some of the affected areas were again moved to January 9, 2016. Perhaps, it is the only election which was conducted for three different days. APC saw the election as warfare.

First, let me call attention to the fact that the law deals with facts and not sentiments or emotions. For all objective observers of the goings-on, these facts had been established even before the election was held. It is also a fact that since 1999, Bayelsa State is traditionally a PDP State and no other Political Party is popular.

1. The Bayelsa Chapter of APC did not campaign because they hoped to rely on Federal Might. The Federal might was crushed by the collective will of Bayelsa People. APC lost sorely at the ballot box. It was on the prompting of the PDP that APC held a sprinkling of campaign visits to few communities. The PDP on the other hand saturated the State with campaigns. It was Community- to-Community campaign.

2. APC used maximum violence, deployed ex-combatants, gun wielding thugs with a view to disrupting the election but the resolve of the electorate was strong. In some cases the electorate resisted. APC's reliance on maximum force succeeded in Brass and Parts of Southern/Ijaw Local Government, where till date, APC warlords killed, maimed and chased out PDP supporters. Go to Samson Siasia Sports Complex, more than 200 Peremabiri people chased away by Paul Eris (aka) General Ogunboss and his band of thugs still live as IDP's. This is a classic case against inhumanity and in the fullness of time the Hague may bea a searchlight on it.

3. Before the elections, APC was already a divided house. The Governorship ticket was marketized and thereafter violently monopolized by Timipre Sylva. The State Chapter had a disconnect with the National Chapter. These ultimately led to the gale of suspension of principal officers.It was a dog-eat-dog affair.

4. In spite of the use of maximum violence by the APC, the Party lost in 7 out of the 8 LGAs. Even Brass where APC is presumed to have won is under serious contention because of the wholesale violence unleashed on the people. I will particularly be surprised if the results of Brass are still upheld.

5. The main issue APC is canvassing is that the INEC has no powers to cancel elections in Southern/Ijaw. Without the benefit of resorting to law, commonsense shoud tell us that a body charged with the responsibility of to conducting elections, collate results, cancel areas where there are question marks, announce results and declare a winner also has the right to say,elections in XYZ areas should be re-conducted because such elections were conducted in breach of the Electoral Act as well as the electoral guidelines. If INEC does not have such powers, why did the APC accept the votes credited to it especially in Brass? If the APC felt INEC has no such powers, why did the party take party in the elections afer Dec 5? Why did APC accept the results of Brass Local Government because its maximum force disfranchised more than 87%of the voters?

6. Frankly, APC has no case at all and WILL NEVER WIN A CASE AT TE TRIBUNAL, COURT OF APPEAL AND EVEN THE SUPREME COURT.NEVER! Those who are having nightmares about the Governorship matter, especially die-hard APC members should rather re-organize the Party, aggregate interest, market her change ideology ( an ideology of anomie and denial), to Bayelsans and prepare for 2020.

This post should be saved by all APC people so they will know in advance that they were not told of the outcome of the case. If I were an APC person, I would jettison partisan interest and work with the government in power. The solar plexus of governance is development. Development has no colour, no party logo and devoid of partisanship.

We have only one Bayelsa and we need to close ranks and develop the State. The money APC will use for the legal fees can build a good shopping Mall or a Cement Depot. Power comes from God and every political office holder has a tenure. Governor Seriake Dickson will remain in power till the end of his Second Tenure.