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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Some election observers under the aegis of Integrity and Transparency Election Monitors, have faulted the outcome of Bayelsa State Governorship polls that took place on November 11.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had declared Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the contest.
Senator Diri defeated his main challenger, the former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But Convener and Secretary of the group, Comrade Yesa Peter, and Comrade Lawan Shuaibu, in a statement yesterday, claimed that the PDP manipulated the result.
Shuaibu said: “Bayelsa have 8 local governments, the PDP’ manipulated results in 5 local governments, which are its stronghold, Ekeremor Kolokuma/ Opokuma, Ogbia, Yenegoa, and Sagbama.
“Before the collation of final results, the PDP candidate was leading with a margin of about 36,000 votes.
“Before then, results from APC stronghold, which includes Nembe Brass and Southern Ijaw, were not released, and cumulatively put at over 100,000 votes, capable of swinging the election to APC way.
“It is instructive to note, all results were announced at local government collation center, except those of the APC, which was taken to INEC headquarters in Yenegoa. And the moment results from Nembe, Brass and Southern Ijaw were announced, especially Southern Ijaw.
“We saw serious disparities from the IReV, and polling unit level results. At the point of moving the results, that was how the APC candidate was rigged out, through manipulative tendencies.”
He called on INEC to “as a matter equity, fairness act justice, order a review, and a possible rerun in these affected local governments.”
