The nation’s security high command has been placed on red alert as two states, Kogi and Bayelsa states, that have reputation as violence-prone during elections, go to the polls this Saturday to elect state governors.
Contingents of security men, especially from the Nigeria Police Force have been deployed to these states to ensure that the polls are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.
However, if reports from these two states is anything to go by, political opponents and their hired thugs are primed to do battle, which is feared would put the electorate in harm’s way.
The two dominant political parties in these two states are the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). Currently, Bayelsa state is being governed by Seriake Dickson of the PDP , while Kogi state is being superintended by Yahaya Bello of the APC. while Bello is seeking a second term in office, his Bayelsa counterpart is questing for his party to retain the office.
LEGAL TWISTS
The Federal High Court in Yenagoa ,Bayelsa State on Thursday ,less than 48 hours to the governorship election ruled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot field its candidate for this Saturday’s poll.
David Lyon is the APC gubernatorial flagbearer in Bayelsa state.
The implication of the court order on the candidature of Lyon is that if the party fails to get a stay of execution from the court before Saturday, APC is deemed not to have a candidate for the election.
BLOOD LETTING
Even before the first ballot is cast, no fewer than five persons have been shot dead in the Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa state. Reports said that thugs believed to be sympathetic to the APC had opened fire on PDP supporters who were said to had gone to Nembe for a rally.
According to the spokesperson for the Nembe Chiefs Council, Nengi James, said there was a clash between rival supporters of the PDP and APC in the area, resulting in the violence, confirmed that in Nembe a staff of the Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation, one Simon Onu was killed by a stray bullet among four others said to be PDP supporters and indigenes of Nembe-Ogbolomabiri community when suspected armed APC thugs tried to prevent PDP from campaigning.
The attackers also shot a policeman in the leg and opened fire on the protocol bus of the Bayelsa State Government House along the junction between Bassambiri and Ogbolomabiri.
BAYELSA STATE TUSSLE
In Bayelsa State, Sen. Douye Diri, the candidate of the peoples democratic party has called on United Kingdom and U.S officials to advocate for peaceful polls in Bayelsa accusing the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of deploying violence.
APC in its reaction accused the PDP of creating panic and preparing grounds for a state government -sponsored violence ahead of the Nov. 16 governorship election.
The party also accused PDP of plotting to use fake police men to rig the poll.
Kogi state is reportedly experiencing turmoil. Suspected political thugs were said to have burnt down the Social Democratic Party (SDP) secretariat in Lokoja, destroying the campaign materials and posters of the governorship candidate, Natasha Akpoti.
Natasha Akpoti who is the SDP governorship candidate visited the office and alleged there had been a plan by Governor Yahaya Bello to attack her convoy and the burning down of the secretariat confirmed her claim while she accused the police of taking sides with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I am calling on President Buhari, the National Chairman of APC Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Nasir El Rufai to call Governor Yahaya Bello to order. Why are they supporting illegality in Kogi State? Kogi State belongs to every Kogi citizen. I see no reason why Bello should think he could use violence to achieve his aims. We will not allow that. The people of Kogi have spoken,”
Natasha Akpoti
The Kogi state APC commissioner of police, Hakeem Busari countered the allegation saying that it was unfortunate for anyone to accuse the police of perpetrating such atrocity .
“We are security agents with the responsibility to ensure peaceful election. We got wind of the incident and have ordered investigation into the immediate and remote causes,” he said.
However, the Kogi State PDP Campaign Council has accused APC and the Kogi State Government, under Governor Yahaya Bello, of making calculated attempt to shift the already scheduled governorship election in the state by two weeks for fear of losing the election into the third position if INEC goes ahead to conduct the election.
The PDP candidate, Musa Wada, said that his political ambition to become the governor of the state was not worth the blood of anybody calling on the security agencies to look into certain allegations levelled against the ruling party who claimed a certain chief is training a private army ahead of the election.
“if we are practicing democracy, there should be no room for militarising election in Kogi State,” he added.
EX-GOVERNOR OF GOMBE STATE ,DANKWAMBO TAUNTS APC AHEAD OF BAYELSA /KOGI ELECTIONS
Ibrahim Dankwambo in his verified official twitter account fire pot shots at the kogi governor.
No sign of governance in Kogi in the last 4yrs. No single project done there despite billions from federal allocation and bailout but same party want Bayelsans not to vote our party despite our great exploits in the state.
— Hassan Ibrahim Dankwambo (@HEDankwambo) November 11, 2019
APC wants Kogi people to vote their candidate who is owing workers over 30 months salaries despite bailout funds while at the same time asking Bayelsans to vote out PDP where civil servants are not being owed & where our party has performed excellently well.
— Hassan Ibrahim Dankwambo (@HEDankwambo) November 11, 2019
