The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded Bayelsa State governorship election, Chief Timipre Sylva, yesterday vowed to challenge the results of the election at the tribunal. The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) had on Sunday declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson, winner of the election.
But addressing journalists yesterday, Sylva alleged that INEC and the PDP in the state worked together to rig the election.
He said that he had formally complained before the election that the present structure of INEC in the state would not conduct a credible election since it was constituted to deliver the former president and the PDP in last year’s general elections.
“I said in the beginning that I do not have confidence in the REC and the Administrative Secretary, that I do not expect a fair treatment if these people were to preside over the election.
“I said so over and over and over again. I even reduced it to writing, and we sent the petition. Usually, before elections of this nature, the INEC officials are switched. But this time, they chose to keep this team that was already in place set up by the PDP as rigging machine.
“This was the same team that returned almost 100 percent of all votes in Bayelsa to the former president. We felt that these people could not have given us a free and fair treatment. But unfortunately, our cries fell on deaf ears. They proved themselves true to type,” he added.
Sylva argued that the election could have been further declared inconclusive since about 53,000 votes were still outstanding as cancelled votes. He said in places where the APC won, results were cancelled, but where the PDP won, the results were entered.
He maintained that in any free and fair election in Bayelsa state, the APC would win, appealing to the party supporters to remain calm.
Meanwhile, fourteen out of the twenty political parties that fielded candidates during the just concluded governorship election, have advised the candidate of the APC to accept the outcome of the poll.
Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa yesterday, state chairman of Independent Democrat (ID), Prince Elemah, flanked by state chairmen of other parties, commended the efforts of the INEC in the distribution of electoral materials to remote areas of the state and providing a level playing field for all during the supplementary poll.
