The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, on Saturday, accused the General Officer Commanding the 6th Division of the Nigerian Army of compromising security in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He said that even though Gen. Sarham has been transferred to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, he refused to move and waited behind to supervise the use of the Army to perpetrate heinous electoral crimes and irregularity in the Bayelsa guber poll.
The Governor said that the GOC and the Brigade Commander of the Artillery Brigade, attached soldiers to all APC leaders in all the wards who they used to terrorize people from one polling unit to another.
Governor Dickson said that the GOC moved to Yenagoa to personally supervise the undemocratic and illegal activities of the Army in the Bayelsa polls using the Brigade Commander of the Artillery Brigade as the commander of his soldiers in the orgy of violence on Bayelsans.
Although, Maj General Sarham was supposed to hand over to his successor, Maj. Gen Felix Aguguo, on November 5 ,he allegedly aborted the handover process till after the Bayelsa governorship poll.
The Stare Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party had alerted the nation of a plot by the APC to use the GOC and the Nigerian Army to undermine security during governorship poll in Bayelsa.
He said: “I am accusing the GOC of of the 6th Brigade, Maj Gen Sharham Jamil of delaying his handing over process after his transfer to the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna, to perfect this illegal mission of rigging election in Bayelsa.
“He and the Brigade Commander of Artillery Brigade, Elele, Lt Col Wase, are the ones attaching soldiers to all APC chieftains in every Ward to rig the election in all the polling units.
“I understand that because of the desperation of the Federal Government, the GOC 6th Division, Port harcourt, Gen. Sarham who is known as the commander of the APC army rigging wing, refused to move even with his transfer to the NDA as commandant and I wonder what lessons he will be giving to those young cadet officers.
“General Sarham has defied his transfer posting and has stayed back to complete his mission of rigging Bayelsa for APC.
“General Sarham has moved to Yenagoa some days back and he’s there now breathing down on everybody and using soldiers everywhere to terrorize, intimidate and to arrest our people. So gentlemen, let me say once again, this election, you should allow the people of Bayelsa to vote, anywhere the people of Bayelsa have the opportunity to vote, they will vote PDP. They will vote for the candidate of our party. APC knows that and that is why the desperation is so high.
“I call on the President of the Federal Republic, even though he has decided to look the other way since 2015 when Timipre Silva, his right hand man is deployed to kill and terrorize our people.
“The President has to wake up and do something; this is not a democracy; what is going on in Bayelsa in the name of an election is not a democracy.
“The observers are everywhere and everyone knows what is going on. I call on the president to call the security forces, the Army to do what is right, I call on the Inspector General of Police to be true to his professional calling and direct the DIG and all police officers to protect the people of Bayelsa State.
“I do not want to be pushed to the level of calling them to defend and protect themselves, I would not want to do that but please, there’s so much a people can take in the hands of their brothers and sisters in the name of an election.
Governor Seriake Dickson wants the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election in some parts of the state, where the exercise was allegedly characterised by brigandage, hijacking of electoral materials and personnel.
He made the call while speaking with newsmen shortly after casting his vote at Oruerewari, Polling Unit 005, Toru Orua in Sagbama local government area yesterday .
He particularly called for outright cancellation of the elections in Nembe local government area where over 20 PDP faithful were allegedly killed by armed APC militia during an aborted campaign rally of the PDP.
The Governor said that the bloodthirsty thugs were sponsored by pipeline surveillance contractors in the state.
He asked the Chairman of INEC to “issue an order cancelling the process in all the wards, in all the local government areas affected, in all the wards and units, where materials have been stolen or hijacked, where officials have been kidnapped and held hostage to enable the APC cook up non existing figures.”
Governor Dickson reiterated that the APC is an unpopular party, describing what is happening in the state as a well orchestrated plan by the APC-led Federal Government to foist a one party system on the country.
According to the governor, rogue elements in the Nigera Army connived with the APC thugs to perpetrate electoral fraud and insecurity in some parts of Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor and Ogbia and even the state capital, Yenagoa.
Governor Dickson, who highlighted the gruesome killings during the PDP campaign in Nembe, noted that what is going on in Bayelsa is a charade and not a democracy.
He said some of the PDP supporters who were attacked during the campaign in Nembe are still gasping for breath on their hospital beds and called on the APC-led federal government to live up to its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of Nigerians.
“Materials meant for Eniwari community, Opuama ward, most locations in Southern Ijaw as we earlier predicted were hijacked.
“As everyone knows, the APC has no foothold in Bayelsa to win an election but they have an armed militia, surveillance contractors who kill and maim for the APC. They also have the Nigerian Army and rogue elements of the Police Force working in concert with them to deny the citizens of these communities their right to vote.
“So as we are speaking, in our country, in this day and age, gun wielding militia men with the aid of security forces have overrun the election officials and most of the electoral officials in Southern Ijaw.
“These officials as we speak, have been kidnapped and held hostage. This has been the lot, this has been what we’ve been managing since 2015, with APC at the center, not caring about the lived and dignity of our people. The APC at the center are too hungry and determined to make Nigeria a one party state.
“The president has to wake up and do something. What is going on in Bayelsa in the name of election is not a democracy. I call on the President to call on the security agents particularly the Army to stop desecrating Democratic governance and subjecting the image of the country to ridicule.”
