Bayelsa REC Mr Baritor Kpagih and the returning officer, Professor Zana Akpagu

The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed 9 January, 2016 for the conclusion of the governorship election in Bayelsa state.

The electoral body said it arrived at the date, following a meeting with leaders of parties and candidates in the December 5 governorship election.

INEC, on December 7, cancelled the election in Southern Ijaw, following widespread violence, ballot box snatching and abduction of electoral officials.

The meeting of parties’ stakeholders was held yesterday at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.

It was attended by the National Security Adviser and other relevant stakeholders.

The meeting also resolved that the Police should play a leading role during the scheduled re-run governorship election in Southern Ijaw local government area and some units in seven other local government areas, as against the Military dominance during the botched December 6, 2015 election in the area.

Also, the distribution of electoral materials will be decentralized as against the previous practice that provided windows for electoral fraud and violence, which resulted in the death of no fewer than nine persons.

The meeting which had in attendance, the INEC Chairman Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno rtd, the governorship candidates of all the contending political parties and other stakeholders, deliberated extensively on the incident that led to the cancellation of the elections in the affected areas, which included hostage taking, ballot snatching, killing and maiming and proffered lasting solutions.

The military, as resolved at the meeting, is to play a supportive role, as enshrined in the 2010 Electoral Acts, as amended not to assist in perpetrating electoral fraud, as alleged during the conduct of the rescheduled governorship election on the 6th of December, 2015.

On the decision to decentralize the distribution of election materials, the stakeholders agreed that, it would ensure that the materials get to the various polling units on time and to prevent the hijacking of materials by desperate politicians, as recorded in the previous elections.

The meeting also stressed the need for a free, fair and credible poll, adding that, this could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace, which all the stakeholders agreed to.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, the Bayelsa state governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and reassured the people of his commitment and that of his party to peaceful polls.

He noted that, this has been the slogan of his party right from his campaign tour to all the communities in the state, calling on other contestants and political parties, especially the leading opposition party to do same.

According to him, “we all know about our peaceful campaigns and disposition. I and my party stand for peace. We do not need intimidation or terror to win in any unit, ward or community in Bayelsa state.

“We call for more commitment from the other parties particularly the APC candidate and we also call on
security agencies to take action in respect of identified culprits to underscore the supremacy of the law”.

It was gathered that the meeting reaffirmed the commitment to the pact signed by candidates and their parties at a Peace Summit in Yenagoa, the state capital, on November 11, for free, fair and credible election in the state.

INEC had announced results in seven out of eight local councils in the election held on 5 December, before declaring the election inconclusive. .

In the results announced for the 7 local councils, incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson has 105,748 votes, while Timipre Sylva of the APC has 72, 594 votes.

Southern Ijaw voters are expected to decide the winner.

The INEC resident electoral commissioner, Baritor Kpagi announced the suspension of the election in the council.

“Reports of the election conducted in the Southern Ijaw local government area on the 6th of December, 2015, revealed that the election was essentially marred with violence, including reports from political parties, Observers, both local and foreign. This falls short of the internationally acceptable threshold for credible elections.

“Consequently, the Commission has decided in the integrity of the process, to cancel the election in the Southern Ijaw local government area. A new date for the conduct of the election in Southern Ijaw will be announced in due course,” he read.