With about five days to the rescheduled governorship election in Southern Ijaw local government, Bayelsa State and over 100 other polling units, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the arrest and prosecution of General Africa, Ogunbos and others, including the “compromised law enforcement agencies” who spearheaded and supervised the brutalisation and killing of voters during and after the December 5 polls.
The party regretted that despite its petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the leadership of the security agencies, the perpetrators are still walking on the streets freely strategising on how to unleash mayhem in the forthcoming January 9 election.
The PDP demands were contained in a statement on Sunday in Yenagoa by its Bayelsa State Chairman, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff; Secretary, Hon. Keku Godspower and Publicity Secretary, Osom Macbere.
The party recalled that INEC has scheduled fresh elections for the entire Southern Ijaw LGA and over 100 other units statewide to take place on Saturday January 9 2016 as a result of widespread disenfranchisement of its supporters “who were attacked, brutalised, maimed, and even killed before, during, and after the election.”
The PDP described as scandalous, the fact that nothing has been done to address the failure of various law enforcement agencies to protect citizens during the December polls.
The party said: “The under-reported case of Brass LGA is heart-rending. Our members and major party functionaries were targeted and attacked. The acting Chairman of the PDP barely escaped being murdered. The Police, Navy, and DSS who were all within, less than ten minutes drive from the location of the attack refused to come to the aid of hapless citizens being shot at, stabbed, macheted, and brutalized and their houses destroyed and looted.
“Among those attacked are Chief Ebi Mathew, S.G. Olofoni, Brass Local Government Chairman of PDP, His Highness Kune Igoni Claudius, Ward Leader, Brass Ward 2, Eben Dokubo, Speech Writer to the Governor, and Sir Engr. Henry Domo Spiff Allen, PDP Stalwart. The ruins are there for all to see.
“Elections conducted under such conditions do not meet local and international standards. Our party agents protested on the day of the election. Our party also filed formal protests with INEC at both the state and national levels, yet a bogus result which gave the APC over 21,000 votes was declared and announced.
“One month after such brigandage in broad day light, the armed thugs still walk around freely, committing murder, kidnapping and sea piracy while the same leadership of the security apparatus look the other way, just as they did in the first week of last December. The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase and heads of security agencies should act fast and effect the arrest and prosecution of these harbingers of violence.”
The PDP queried whether the government of President Muhammadu Buhari would sit down and watch while its members are brutally denied the right to freely elect their own leader come Saturday January 9.
“As the people of Southern Ijaw LGA get ready to vote on Saturday January 9, the headship of the same security apparatus which did not prevent the mayhem caused by cultists and militants from frustrating the democratic process remain intact.
“The PDP is already leading by a wide margin in the announced results of the governorship polls held on December 5 and 6, 2015 in six LGAs. Having campaigned for votes from community to community, the peace-loving people of our dear state will vote for Peace, Development and Prosperity (PDP). We will uphold the dignity of our people”, the statement said.
Meanwhile, a civil rights organisation, Constitutional Rights and Peoples Development Advocacy Initiative, has asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the alleged gross abuse of federal might by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the inconclusive governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The CRPDAI, in a petition filed by its Administrative Secretary, Emmanuel Christopher, demanded that the NHRC should “thoroughly investigate the allegations of violence, especially the role of pro-APC military men to perpetrate violence and disenfranchise the ordinary electorate. We believe that such acts of criminality perpetrated by any person, a political Party or uniformed men must be investigated and the culprits brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others.”
The petition dated January 1 2015, was copied to the Inspector-General of Police; Director-General, Department of State Services; APC National Chairman; Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman; Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson and APC Governorship candidate, Mr. Timipre Sylva.
Details Below…
SIGNED COPY OF THE PETITION TO INVESTIGATE CASES OF ELECTORAL VIOLENCE AND GROSS ABUSE OF POWER BY THE APC IN BAYELSA STATE
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY INITIATIVE
306 Melford Okilo Road, Yenagoa – Bayelsa State
corights_2010peoplesdevadvocacy
January 1st, 2016
The Director General,
National Human Rights Commission,
19th Aguiyi Ironsi Street,
Maitama-PMB 444
Garki-Abuja-Nigeria
Dear Director General,
PETITION TO INVESTIGATE CASES OF ELECTORAL VIOLENCE, FRAUD AND GROSS ABUSE OF POWER BY THE APC IN BAYELSA STATE
We the members of the CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY INITIATIVE (CRPDAI) hereby petition your highly esteemed Commission to help fight for the redress of violation of the rights of Bayelsans in the December 5/6th Governorship elections. We are aware that the Commission serves as an extra-judicial mechanism for the enhancement of the enjoyment of human rights. Its establishment is aimed at creating an enabling environment for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights. It monitors human rights in Nigeria, assists victims of human rights violations, and helps in the formulation of the Nigerian Government’s policies on human rights.
On the strength of the aforementioned, we wish to inform your reputable Commission that the governorship election that took place in Dec. 5th and 6th 2015 witnessed an orgy of violence perpetrated by the APC Candidate Mr. Timipre Sylva, with the connivance of some security forces loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chief of Defense Staff- both of who have had a long standing relationship with Timipre Sylva. Whereas the Peoples Democratic Party considered the election as a civil matter where the electorate were to discharge their civic responsibility, the All Progressive Congress unleashed terror on PDP supporters molesting and shooting sporadically, snatching of electoral materials especially in PDP strongholds. This was accompanied by ballot snatching, intimidation of INEC officials, shooting and maiming. PDP officials that dared to resist were shot and a few persons were killed.
It was because of the unprecedented violence and brigandage that the Independent National Electoral Commission, cancelled and rescheduled the governorship elections in Southern/Ijaw LGA and 104 units for January 9th, 2016. Now, the APC has been holding series of meeting with ex-combatants (militants) in the Region to re-enact the same orgy of violence with even graver intensity. (Vide: Some pictures of the dead and injured attached herewith). Such crimes verging on human rights violation may repeat themselves if not investigated, reported and the culprits brought to book. We hold that being a member of a particular political Party is not a morality car wash that exonerates one from the sins of violence, thuggery and killing under the rubrics of elections.
OUR SUBMISSION
1. That we believe that the loss of life or maiming of any person before, during and after elections is a huge loss to the nation and negatives the norms of democratic governance. We posit that only a peaceful, free, fair and credible election can enable the electorate to exercise their franchise and enthrone good governance.
2. That we hold tenaciously to the fact that violence or thuggery of any form or manifestation is a violation of the civic rights of the electorate and that the ballot box is the best way of choosing leaders, not by violence, military force or brigandage.
3. That our modest demand is for the National Human Rights Commission to thoroughly investigate the allegations of violence, especially the role of pro-APC military men to perpetrate violence and disenfranchise the ordinary electorate. We believe that such acts of criminality perpetrated by any person, a political Party or uniformed men must be investigated and the culprits brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
4. That the Inspector General of Police should arrest electoral offenders and prosecute the culprits, as this would serve as a deterrent to others. Violence accompanied by the use of lethal weapons, thuggery and brigandage are inimical to the growth and development of democratic institutions and by extension dwarfts national development.
5. We earnestly demand that in the rescheduled elections taking place in Bayelsa State on January 9th, 2016, we call for the presence of Rights Groups such as the NHRC, and other local and International Election observers to be on ground to see things for themselves and to ensure free, fair an peaceful elections.
CONCLUSION
As a nation, we have endeavoured, for the past 16 years, to build our democratic institutions. We have also embarked on reforms to strengthen those institutions and it is too late to allow the hitherto prevalent “business-as-usual scenario to rubbish the gains we have made so far. We should not also allow any person or group of persons to desecrate those institutions we have labored very hard to build.
For democracy to take root, the democratic election of leaders is a major plank on which other ingredients of the rule of law stand. The derailment of our electoral process means a depletion of the moral and psychological gains we have made in the past years. With reputable Commissions like the NHRC, our democracy cannot tow the path of slippery slope of failure. We are ready to provide evidence (video, photo and verbal evidences especially from the victims of the electoral mayhem in Bayelsa State.
Thank you for standing up to defend the ordinary Nigerian who is oppressed, whose fundamental rights are violated, who is intimidated, molested, and killed and buried with chains of oppression hanging on their feeble necks.
Faithfully,
Signed
Emmanuel Christopher
Administrative Secretary
CC:
1. The Chairman, INEC
Abuja.
2. The Inspector General of Police
Louis Edet House-Abuja.
3. The Director SSS,
Abuja.
4. The National Chairman,
All Progressive Congress
5. The National Chairman
Peoples Democratic Party
6. Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State
Creek Haven – Yenagoa
7. Mr. Timipre Sylva
Governorship Candidate, APC
8. The Media
