Gov Dickson backs INEC on cancellation of election in Southern Ijaw
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State applauded the cancellation of last Sunday's rescheduled governorship election in Southern Ijaw local government, which was fraught with monumental irregularities in the magnitude that cannot be overlooked by any meaningful umpire.
The governor also was all praises for the people of Bayelsa State for their resilience and tenacity at ensuring that they did not only vote for him but staning to ensure that their votes counted.
Dickson has won in six of the seven local government council results released so far by the Independent Electoral Commission.
The governor, in a media briefing in Yenegoa, said that if the electoral umpire had heeded to his advice, it would have saved the nation from waste of public funds.
He pointed out that the decision to hold the election on Sunday by INEC was ill-advised, taking into consideration the security situation and peculiar nature of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
Dickson main opponent in the race, Timpire Sylvia of All Progressives Congress, condemned the cancellation of the result of the local government, which he said would have made him a inner of the polls. It was learnt that Sylvia was credited with huge and unrealistic votes which gave him over 70,000 votes advantage over Dickson in just the Southern Ijaw council.
Dickson expressed regret over the killings and abduction of INEC ad hoc staff and corps members in the area, assuring the people of the government's commitment to ensuring that they are re-united with their families.
According to him, “I want to use this opportunity to commend INEC at last for taking the right decision. Let me say that, it is regrettable that, if INEC and the relevant authorities had taken my advice, as chief security officer of the state, the incident would have been avoided.
“They didn't listen to the honest advice that I gave to them, otherwise, the decision to hold that election on Sunday was ill-advised. Regrettably, a lot of people have suffered inconvenience, and a lot of public resources have been expended.
“As we speak, we are in the process of working with community leaders and other partners to identify and retrieve youth corps members, who were put in danger for no fault of theirs.
“I like to use this opportunity to also commend them, these young wonderful Nigerians, who came here to serve their fatherland. I want to assure them and all stakeholders, who will participate in the rescheduled election and other activities that Bayelsa will continue to be home to them.
“The government of Bayelsa appreciates their sacrifice and will continue to partner with them to make our nation a better place.”
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