Governor Seriake Dickson

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has applauded the cancellation of governorship election in Southern Ijaw Local Government area by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He also commended Bayelsans for their support.

Speaking to newsmen in Government House, Yenagoa, the Governor said if the electoral umpire had accepted his advice, it would have saved the nation from the avoidable waste of public funds.

He pointed out that the decision to hold the election on Sunday by INEC was ill advised, taking into consideration the security situation and peculiar nature of the local government area.

The governor expressed regret over the killings and abduction of INEC ad hoc staff and corps members in the area, assuring the people of government’s commitment at ensuring that they are re-united with their families in no distant time.

His words: “I want to use this opportunity to commend INEC at last for taking the right decision. Let me say that, it is regrettable that, if INEC and the relevant authorities had taken my advice, as Chief Security Officer of the State, the incident would have been avoided.

“They didn’t listen to the honest advice that I gave to them, otherwise, the decision to hold that election on Sunday was ill advised. Regrettably, a lot of people have suffered inconvenience, and a lot of public resources have been expended.

“As we speak, we are in the process of working with community leaders and other partners to identify and retrieve youth corps members, who were put in danger for no fault of theirs. I like to use this opportunity to also commend them, these young wonderful Nigerians, who came here to serve their fatherland. I want to assure them and all stakeholders, who will participate in the rescheduled election and other activities that Bayelsa will continue to be home to them. The government of Bayelsa appreciate their sacrifice and will continue to partner with them to make our nation a better place”