Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson has accepted the resignation of Dr. Perekeme Bertola as the chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC).
Perekeme cited “threats to my life and my immediate family” as reason for his resignation.
His resignation, which came less than two months to the local government elections scheduled for August 10 was contained in a letter dated May 31st and addressed to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.
The development reportedly caught other members of the commission unawares.
In a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor thanked Bertola for his services to the commission, particularly for setting in motion the conduct of the August 10, 2019 local council elections.
He said regardless of the development, the council election would go ahead as other members of the commission are in quorum to carry on with the business of conducting hitch-free council polls.
The statement noted that the most senior member of the commission would take charge in acting capacity, pending the appointment of a substantive chairman.
Dickson who insisted that the government and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) would not succumb to pressures, called on Bayelsans to be aware of the subterranean moves by members of the opposition to scuttle the planned council election.