Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa and Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) and the Labour Party (LP) have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the National Assembly elections held in some parts of the state.
This was coming on the heels of the protest by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also calling for the cancellation of same result for a fresh election.
CUPP, in a press conference addressed by Mr. Tare Edwin and Brisibe Kpodoh, alleged that INEC officials and materials for seven wards in Nembe Bassambiri were abducted by chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in collusion with top officials of the electoral commission and security operatives.
It said: “The unfortunate and saddened act was also perpetrated in Wards 4, 14, 15 and 16 in Southern Ijaw.
“We demand a fresh elections in all these areas affected and call on INEC not to accept any results from the affected areas,” the duo said.
Also, the state Chairman of LP, Ebiowei Olomu Numofe, and the senatorial candidate for the party, Mr. Iniruo Owazi Wills, in a petition to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), called for the cancellation of seven wards in Nembe Bassambiri.
According to them, the petition is to draw the attention of the commission to the anomalies that characterised the election, especially “widespread intimidation and hijacking of election materials meant for the said wards.”
They, therefore, demanded a rescheduling of the election in the affected wards or cancellation of any purported results from the elections held last Saturday.
Meanwhile, former governor of Bayelsa State and chieftain of the APC, Timipre Sylva, is for the first time on the same page with Governor Seriake Dickson, on the plans to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the violence that characterised the conduct of the presidential and national assembly polls in the state.
Dickson had, during a press briefing where he condemned the violence and deaths recorded during the election, said he would set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the conduct of politicians, security personnel and electoral officials during the conduct of the election.
Sylva, in a chat with newsmen, said he welcomed the idea of a commission of inquiry. He, however, said the commission should be made up of independent people and not cronies of the Dickson.
He said only independent people who have no connection with Dickson would be able to probe the issue of electoral violence during the election and identify those responsible.
Sylva, who lamented the death of some persons during the election, accused the PDP of violence during the conduct of the election, and called on the military to investigate those arrested with arms and ammunition and ensure they face prosecution.
He said nobody arrested with arms and ammunition was linked to him, but the PPD-led government, stressing that Bayelsans must have a new orientation of playing politics without violence.
In a related development, the PDP cleared the three Senate seats in Cross River State just as the former Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba lost his bid to return to the red chamber for the fourth time.
The Returning Officer for the state’s Central senatorial district, Prof. Enyong Ubana, who declared the result, said Prof. Sandy Onor of the PDP polled 80,126 to defeat Ndoma-Egba, who scored 60,298 votes.
In the northern senatorial district of the state, the incumbent Rose Okoh (PDP) defeated Wabily Nyiam (APC) with over 100,000 votes to return to the upper chamber.