Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Yekini Nabena has raised alarm over the stockpiling of arms by the Governor Henry Seriake Dickson led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 16 governorship elections.
But the PDP has challenged the APC to name those involved in the arms build –up and report them to the appropriate security agencies.
Bayelsa traditional rulers led by their Chairman, King Alfred Diete-Spiff had recently in a meeting with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu hinted the electoral commission of the stockpiling of arms by politicians and the need for INEC to ensure security agencies act to avert break down of law and order during the election.
Nabena who is also the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the David Lyon Governorship Campaign Council said he was lending his voice to the issue of arms build-up because of the security implications for the state in the governorship election.
“Bayelsa state is being transformed to a war zone ahead of the election. Governor Seriake Dickson has seen clearly that defeat is imminent for his candidate and has now resorted to deploy violence to force his will on the people” he said
He therefore called on heads of security agencies to closely monitor the operations of their personnel in the state before and during the governorship election as the PDP led government has planned to compromise them.
Nabena also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and particularly the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to monitor deployment of Bayelsa funds to thwart vote buying which INEC had identified as rampant in the state.
While calling on the Chief Army of Staff and the Inspector- General of Police to investigate the Army and Police bases situated illegally in Dickson home community, Toru Orua in Sagbama Local Government Area, he said the IGP should probe the State Security Outfit Operation Doo Akpo which he alleged is being used by Dickson to harass political opponents in his party PDP and APC members
“The popularity of the candidacy of David Lyon has thrown the camp of governor Dickson into disarray. The recent wave of high profile defections from the PDP to the APC is clear proof that the wind of change is blowing across the state. Governor Dickson’s rigging and intimidation plans will fail because Bayelsans are ready to defend their votes” he said.
But the PDP publicity secretary Mr Mackbere Osom as dismissed the allegations of Nabena as “preposterous” According to him rather than go to the media over the allegation, Nabena and his party should approach relevant security agencies and give them the names of PDP members involved in arms build-up.