Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State were yesterday locked in a row over the alleged invasion of the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and disruption of the inspection of November 16th election materials as ordered by the Governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja.
PDP State Secretary, Godspower Keku , alleged that midway into the ordered inspection some thugs purportedly sponsored by the APC invaded the venue and disrupted the process.
APC through the State Secretary, Comrade Alabo Martins, denied the allegation describing the conduct of the PDP members during the disrupted inspection as a total violation of the order issued by the election petition tribunal on the presence of counsels and party agents.
PDP had alleged that the ordered inspection of election materials was midway by the APC thugs led by one of the party’s chieftains disrupted the process.
According to the PDP, “The PDP team ably supervised by INEC officials had successfully inspected election materials for the Southern Ijaw local government area before the thugs invaded the venue. It was stated that while the PDP team were preparing for the inspection of Election materials for Nembe local government area, Otiotio led APC thugs threw caution to the wind by disrupting the exercise.”
“This has led to the decision by both the INEC officials assigned for the task and the PDP inspection team to suspend the inspections for today. It is worthy of note that the order issued by the tribunal on the 9th of December 2019 permits the PDP and INEC officials ONLY to inspect the election materials.
“It is therefore a violation of the order of the tribunal and outright lawlessness on the part of the APC to disrupt the peaceful exercise. The PDP in Bayelsa has called on the tribunal to ensure that the order given to inspect the 2019 Bayelsa Governorship election materials by the PDP be enforced”.
Reacting, the APC said though the party was of the suspicion that the venue fixed for the inspection, which has been on-going since 11th December 2019, was a deliberated and well-orchestrated by the PDP,” and their bevy of young men and girls numbering nothing less than 50; not being the Petitioner, Solicitor or Party Agents to cause confusion and tamper with electoral documents to fit their already shaky petition as this voyage of fishing for documents portend.
“The INEC officials present, made up of two ladies, were overwhelmed with the strange number of persons imported by the PDP into an otherwise civil and simple exercise. Only 6 persons represented the APC as the PDP street urchins had a field day disrespecting in the glare of the whole world the Tribunal’s Orders. Unfortunately, our verbal protests could not make the PDP change its modus operandi, hence officials of INEC had no choice than to suspend the exercise”.
“We fear that the outgoing PDP government is set to destroy evidence of its defeat, distort sensitive electoral documents and tamper with same. In the circumstance, we appeal to INEC not to treat PDP’s conduct with levity and call the gang of Interlopers and busy bodies off. At the appropriate time, the APC though it’s solicitors will take steps to void the outcome of this contemptuous display of impunity by the PDP and their sympathizers”.
“Having witnessed the inspection exercise these past days from the morning hours to late evening, we find PDPs resort to underhand means in effecting the Order very disturbing. Let the truth prevail! The electorates of Bayelsa State have spoken.”
Contacted on the development, the Independent National Electoral Commission, ((INEC) through its Public Relations Office, Mr. Wilfred Ifogha, absolve the Commission of any wrong doing during the aborted inspection.
Ifogha said, “INEC’s position is to obey the order of Election Petition Tribunal by making available to the petitioner election materials used during the election for their inspection. Whatever claims and counter claims that arose and disrupted the process yesterday should be better given by the parties involved.”
