Sylva in fresh trouble
•PPA, ADC want Bayelsa guber poll nullified again
From FEMI FOLARANMI, Yenagoa
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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Bayelsa
State Governor, Timipre Sylva
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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Fresh trouble is in the offing for the Bayelsa State Governor,
Timipre Sylva and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the
Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) has filed a petition
before the Bayelsa Election Petitions Tribunal, seeking nullification
of the May 24 gubernatorial re-run poll.
The candidate of the party, Mrs. Charity Vadelago is asking
the tribunal to declare the re-run election null and void
because of her alleged unlawful exclusion by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Vadelago in her petition claimed that her exclusion was due
to connivance by the PDP candidate, Governor Sylva and INEC,
even when she was qualified to run for the election.
She said when INEC announced a new date for the election the
party in a letter referenced PPA/NHQ/ INEC/04, she forwarded
her name to the electoral body as the PPA candidate.
INEC, she said, replied acknowledging her as the party’s
candidate in a letter with reference number INEC/BY/122/126
dated May 17, stressing that despite that, she was still excluded
from the election.
Vadelago argued that there was no letter of rejection from
her party, stressing that INEC even invited her to an enlarged
stakeholders’ meeting in preparation for the election.
Also in a separate petition, Chief Ebakumo Oduduogwu-Ogbetebe
of the Alliance Democratic Congress (ADC) prayed the tribunal
to nullify the election on the ground that he was excluded
from participating and due to cases of violence, multiple
voting and sundry malpractice.
He contended that the election was invalid as forms EC.8E
on which the results were recorded indicated that the re-run
election was conducted in 2007 and not 2008 as ordered by
the Appeal Court.
Hearing in the petitions has been fixed for August 6 and 8
respectively.
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