VJanuary 8, 2016 – With less than 24 hours to the supplementary elections in Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa State and few other polling units, a civil rights organisation, South South Emancipation Initiative (SSEI) has raised the alarm over alleged massive influx of thugs into the local government.
The NGO in a statement issued on Friday evening in Yenagoa, by its National coordinator, Ebi Briggs, claimed that the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva has hired armed thugs from Edo and Ondo states to unleash mayhem on members of the community.
He decried the militarization of the election and accused the police and other security agencies of working in collusion with the APC to rig the poll.
Briggs said, “It is real irony that a party that was afforded a level playing ground at the 2015 general elections cannot guarantee free, fair and impartial field for all parties. The situation in Southern Ijaw LGA is tense and unfortunate following the invasion of the once peaceful community by unknown thugs bearing arms and unleashing violence while security agencies have suddenly become bats.
“The reality remains that injustice is only temporary as truth and the ballot will always win above bullets and intimidation. The Federal Government should demonstrate its neutrality in the rerun by ensuring that the hoodlums and their sponsors are immediately brought to book before the matter escalates beyond control.
“The results of seven LGs have already shown that the APC candidate is not the natural and preferred candidate for Bayelsa, therefore his resort to gangsterism and thuggery will not take him to Government House because Bayelsans will resist the terror and intimidation to the last man.
