Bayelsa Election: Timipre Sylva, Set To Challenge Result Of Bayelsa Governorship Election

The candidate of the All
Progressives Congress in the just concluded
governorship election in Bayelsa State, Timipre
Sylva, on Monday said he would challenge the
result of the election in court.
The Independent National Electoral Commission
had on Sunday declared the candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party, and incumbent
governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, winner of
the election.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Mr. Sylva
alleged that INEC and the PDP worked in concert
to rig the election in favour of the PDP.
He said he had officially complained, prior to the
election, that the present structure of INEC in
the state would not conduct a credible election.
According to him, the INEC officials were
assembled by the immediate-past administration
to deliver the state to PDP in last general
elections.
''I said in the beginning that I do not have
confidence in the REC and the Administrative
Secretary, that I do not expect a fair treatment if
these people were to preside over the election.
''I said so over and over and over again. I even
reduced it to writing, and we sent the petition.
Usually before elections of this nature, INEC
officials are switched.
''But this time, they chose to keep this team
that was already in place set up by the PDP as
rigging machine.
''This was the same team that returned almost
100 percent of all votes in Bayelsa to the former
president.
''And we felt that these people could not have
given us a free and fair treatment. But
unfortunately, our cries fell on deaf ears.
Yesterday, they proved themselves true to type.''
He noted.
Mr. Sylva argued that the election could have
been further declared inconclusive since about
53,000 votes were still outstanding as cancelled
votes.
He said in places where APC won, results were
cancelled, but where PDP won, the results were
entered.
The former governor further alleged the rigging
started from the distribution of materials, noting
that election materials were diverted as they
were taken to voting centers by vehicles
provided by the PDP.
According to him, the same set of collation
officers, and other officers used in the December
election were used on Saturday's election, a
situation he said aided the rigging process.
Mr. Sylva maintained that in any free and fair
election in Bayelsa State, the APC would always
win.
He appealed to the supporters of the party to
keep calm.
Meanwhile, 14 of the 20 parties that participated
in the election have advised Mr. Sylva to accept
the outcome of the poll in good faith.
The parties, which endorsed the results of the
poll, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of
the January 9 supplementary poll and called on
Mr. Sylva to join forces to move the state
forward.