BayelsaDecides: Protesters Storm INEC Over Alleged Manipulated Results
Scores of protesters on Sunday stormed the road leading to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in Bayelsa State over alleged doctored results from Nembe-Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the aggrieved protesters, who are many from Nembe and supporters of the PDP alleged that there was voting in Nembe-Bassambiri and called on the leadership of INEC to reject what they described as doctored results from the area.
The angry protesters blocked the usually busy Swali road linking the commission’s office as early as 9am calling for the cancellation of results from the Nembe-Bassambiri.
Speaking with journalists, the Bayelsa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dambo Biriyai, SAN, said election did not take place in Nembe Bassambiri and callled on INEC REC in the state, Mr Obo Effanga, and South South Commissioner for INEC May Agbamuche-Mbu to do the needful by rejecting the alleged fake results.
He added that PDP members who visited their home town of Bassambiri on the eve of the election, were prevented entry by the combined team of SWAT police and APC thugs.
He alleged that the APC only wrote outrageous results that were not products of any voting.
According to him, “If what we are here for is allowed to go on, it would be a massive rape on democracy. We are here because we were disenfranchised in Nembe Bassambiri. And no voting took place there.
“Precisely on the 10th of Nov, in order to vote for our candidate, about 60 buses left Yenagoa, to Nembe Bassambiri with escort. When we got there, the SWAT team was blocking the entrance with other APC youths.
“They said we should come down. When one of our boys, Barr. Dilli, came down, they manhandled him and he escaped by the whiskers. Thereafter, They started blocking them up to the extent that they threw tear gas at us. They said we cannot come in. So most of us were scared so they had to leave. There were no votes. No election, in Nembe Bassambiri constituency II and III.
“And we now found out that results starts coming out on social media. Results that were uploaded in the BVAS. And you see that these results are the kind of results that are so outrageous.
“We don’t know where they are coming from. So we are here to appeal to INEC. We are not coming to discourage INEC. We just want them to follow the rule of law, ensure that they do what is right in line with Mr President’s resolve that there should be free and fair elections in this country.
“They manipulated everything. INEC should cancel Nembe Bassambiri results because there were no elections there.”
HOD Voter Education & Publicity of INEC, Bayelsa State, Mr. Wifred Ifogah, appealed for calm and urged the protesters to lodge their protest with the leadership of the commission in writing.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
