By Sampson Boroh
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state are entangled in war of words over the ongoing National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal.
While PDP accused the APC of using federal might to allegedly sway the outcome of the tribunal to its favour, APC claimed it was not true that the party is trying to subvert justice at the elections tribunal as being claimed by the ruling party in the state.
The PDP chairman, Moses Cleopas had alleged that there are moves by APC to influence the decision of the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in the petition filed by the PDP and the immediate past Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Friday Benson against the APC and the winners of the election, Preye Oseke.
Cleopas alleged that APC and the member representing Southern Ijaw federal constituency, at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Preye Oseke, were trying to subvert the will of the people at the tribunal.
PDP and its candidate in the 2019 NASS, Konbowei Friday Benson had filed petition at the election tribunal challenging the election results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency election.
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But addressing journalists on Monday at his office in Yenagoa, the State Chairman of APC, Mr Jothan Amos, described the allegation by PDP as untrue, claiming that the APC won the election squarely.
Amos said the allegations from the PDP chairman are wild and unfounded, as there are no such moves in place, and can never be, at least not from the APC.
He said. “These allegations are a product of the PDP chairman’s imagination, perhaps hallucination. The PDP’s candidate in the Federal House of Representatives election, for Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, Friday Konbowei Benson lost fair and squarely to our candidate Hon. Preye Oseke.”
“Every true son and daughter of Southern Ijaw can attest to the fact that Hon. Konbowei’s 12 years sojourn at the state house of assembly was a disaster and had no bearing on the people of Southern Ijaw.
“The people of Southern Ijaw rejected him at the polls because he failed them woefully. We don’t need to subvert justice in order to affirm our victory, the facts we laid before the election tribunal speaks volume and we believe our victory would be upheld by the tribunal.”
