”Unreported Human Rights Abuses” & Bayelsa State Governorship Elections Violence December 2015 & January 2016

Bayelsa State is one of the 36 States in Nigeria. It is in the South-South geo political region and has a population of about 1.7million distributed across Eight (8) Local Government Areas. On Dec 5, 2015, it conducted its Governorship election. The election was a two-horse race between two candidates; the incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson of the People Democratic Party (PDP) and his immediate predecessor, Chief Timipre Slyva of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Bayelsa State has 663,748 registered voters (54 % male and 46 % female), 1,806 Polling Units, 105 Wards, eight local government areas, three senatorial districts, five federal constituencies and 24 state constituencies.

INEC deployed 9,827 poll workers to conduct the governorship poll. Twenty out of the 29 registered political parties in Nigeria fielded candidates in the December 5, 2015 governorship polls in Bayelsa State. The Nigerian Police Force alone deployed 14,000 of its personnel under the leadership of a Deputy Inspector-General of Police. Three Commissioners of Police were also in the team, with one Commissioner overseeing each of the three Senatorial Zones. The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps deployed about 5,000 personnel as well, while the military and Joint Task Force equally provided additional security.

The election that ushered in the first tenure of Governor Seriake Dickson in 2011 was peaceful and violence-free. However, the 2015/2016 Governorship elections in Bayelsa State witnessed acts of terror, gross human rights violation, electoral violence, murders across some local government areas and communities in the state orchestrated by the All Progressive Congress (APC).

During the primary elections of both parties, the PDP had a very peaceful primary, while the APC primaries were characterized by violence and bloodshed. Armed youths and cultist freely brandished automatic rifles, machetes and cudgels and attacked supporters of the opponents in the intra-party election. The APC Primaries witnessed the kidnap of the serving governor of Edo State who complained about the display of arms by APC youths and the resultant violence. Before the December 5th elections, there were rumours that APC politicians in Bayelsa State were stockpiling weapons to perpetrate violence during the elections. The Bayelsa State Government addressed series of Press Conferences in this regard climaxing in the signing of an INEC-brokered Peace Accord between the PDP Governorship candidates Governor Seriake Dickson, the APC Governorship candidate Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva and 18 other aspirants on the 10th of November 2015. Clearly, the Bayelsa State election violence was planned by the APC leadership and carried out by APC supporters. Some of the perpetrators apprehended confessed to this fact.

Common trend in the militia attack showed that across the various local government areas, the armed mob were all dressed in black attires and had brand new machetes, axes and guns. As a confidence-building measure, the NUJ, Nigerian Electoral Debate Group organized a debate. Whereas the PDP candidate attended all the debates, the APC candidate, Mr. Timipre Sylva only attended the first debate. During the electioneering campaigns, bloodshed was narrowly averted as reports of provocation and assault on party supporters were reported. On the 2nd of November 2015, at about 6pm along the Isaac Boro Expressway, APC supporters pelted stones and gravels on the convoy of Governor Seriake Dickson as the Governor’s convoy drove pass the APC Campaign Headquarters. Fortunately, security personnel attached to the Governor showed maturity and great restraint by ignoring the provocations of the opposition party.

The next day on the 3rd of November 2015 at about 3pm, on a campaign tour of Swali in Yenagoa Local Government, the Governor’s convoy was also pelted by APC supporters wielding brooms (a symbol of the party) and sticks as the convoy passed through Swali Market. Security agents and supporters of the PDP also maintained great restraint during this encounter. Electoral violence before, during and after the elections were reported mainly in some communities in the 4 Local Government Areas mainly: Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe and Southern Ijaw.

TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. Save Ijaw Nation, in collaboration with coalition on Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Societies Groups on compilation of this report will forward a copy to the following : - The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces - The office of the Inspector-General Of Police, Abuja - Senate President, National Assembly, Abuja - Speaker, House of Representatives, NASS, Abuja - Bayelsa State Government - Chief Justice of Nigeria - Civil Liberties Organization, Nigeria - National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria - Independent National Electoral Commission - The Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal - Nigeria Governor Forum - PDP Governors Forum - Amnesty International, United Kingdom - International Criminal Court, The Hague - Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, London - International Federation for Human Rights - Chief of Defense Staff.

2. The purpose of this report is to show the widely unreported gross violation of Human Right Abuses that occurred in the immediate past; reoccurred pre, during and are still on-going after the December 5th and January 9th, 2016 Bayelsa State Governorship Elections.

3. The fact-finding team behind this report will carry out extensive research in material gathering through interviews, official security documents gathering and newspaper clippings. 4. The ijaw Nation and several Nigeria Civil Society Groups will work in partnership with the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in research and information gathering.

5. The report will come with a video documentary which will attempt to highlight important aspects of the research material. The report and documentary will be delivered to Amnesty International UK and other International NGOs/Civil Society Groups after an international media briefing in both London and Nigeria.

6. The fact-finding team will use a team of researchers, volunteers and cameramen to carry out this research through interviews, which will be transcribed and captured on camera. SYNOPSIS

THIS IS a REPORT ON THE 2015/2016 Bayelsa State Governorship Election, one of the worst and under-reported cases of electoral violence in the history of Nigeria. Many Bayelsans were murdered; scores hospitalized with gunshot and machete wounds. Properties worth billions of Naira were looted vandalized and burnt. At the time of compiling this report a community like Peremabiri has been deserted since January 10th 2016, its men, women and children have become Iinternally Displaced Persons at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in the Capital City of Yenagoa. Peremabiri is currently being occupied by a criminal gang led by General Ogunboss. Nigerian security agents are aware of the facts in this report but have refused to arrest and prosecute the criminal perpetrators and their sponsors. This report is an URGENT call for JUSTICE.