Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has raised the alarm saying that Bayelsa State is under military siege.
According to him, the state is not at war but the military has decided to turn the state into a garrison with soldiers providing security for chieftains of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to unleash terrorism on voters.
Dickson who stated this in a media chat on the developments regarding the presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday across the eight local government areas in the state said APC chieftains led by former Governor Timipre Sylva colluded with the military and electoral officials to disenfranchise the people of Nembe Bassambiri.
While commending the voters in Ekeremor community and Twon Brass for having the opportunity to vote he said he was not hell bent that the PDP must win in all the elections but that the voters should be given the opportunity to pick who they want as leaders without intimidation from the military.
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“6 Division of the Nigerian Army is the most politicised Division in the army. I am going to do a formal letter to express my feelings on how soldiers colluded with politicians to unleash terror on how people. Bayelsa as we speak is under invasion. I don’t know what we have done to the Federal government that our state would be turned into a garrison.”
Dickson who said aside Nembe Bassanbiri where electoral materials were diverted, noted that there were also diversion of electoral materials in some parts of Southern Ijaw. He slammed the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and the Administrative Secretary for being ” lily-livered“ to accept illegal results.
He urged the people that have been disenfranchise to protest legitimately, adding that “I would lead demonstration to protest that the democratic rights of the people should be respected”
Dickson also hinted that intelligence reports indicated that there were plans by some people to storm collation centres in Sagbama and Ekeremor to tamper with results already collated.
He said he would set up a judiciary commission of inquiry to document the roles of individuals, military personnel and officials of INEC in the conduct of the elections in the state.