Bayelsa: challenge of election in the creeks

The recent governorship election in Bayelsa State took place amidst numerous concerns identified ahead of the contest. Bayelsa has eight local government areas, but the topography, which is made up of swamps, creeks and over 70 per cent water, makes it a logistics nightmare for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, who monitored the election, reports

 

AFTER all the build-up, which suggested that there would be violence and bloodshed, the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State ended with an anticlimax. Given the state’s history of violence and reports of political activities during the build-up to the contest that painted a picture of the stockpiling of arms, recruitment of thugs, bloody confrontation in places like Nembe and politicians who want to win at all costs, everyone expected a widespread bloodbath on election day. Indeed, the atmosphere on the eve of election was electric, as political activities rose to a feverish pitch, stoking fears that an unhealthy competition was in the offing. But that was not the case; as no case of death was reported during the election.

Besides, many observers outside the state expected the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Duoye Diri, to win. But, this reporter was convinced that the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer Chief David Lyon was going to triumph at the polls after he arrived in Yenagoa the week before the election and witnessed first-hand his popularity among the common folks on the streets. At least one could not help overhearing discussions among various groups of people at banks, petrol stations, markets and keke riders within the capital, speaking of their determination to cast their vote for the APC candidate.

The discussions were unsolicited for; so it gave an indication of the feeling of the people. From such discussions, one can infer they the momentum generated by the campaign of the APC candidate has to do with the disenchantment of the people with the government of Governor Seriake Dickson and the crisis within the PDP, which led to the defections of hundreds of its members prior to the November 16 election.

The election day witnessed the usual logistic hiccups such as late arrival of sensitive electoral materials, which delayed the exercise in many polling units. The state has only eight local government areas, but it has a difficult terrain. The topography of the state, which is made up of swamps, creeks and over 70 per cent water, makes it a logistics nightmare for the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

For instance, many communities across five local governments are flooded at this time of the year and inaccessible to vehicular movement. The local councils affected are Kolokuma/Opokuma, Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Sagbama, and Yenagoa. Many voters were displaced in the process and INEC had the responsibility of making alternative arrangements for them to exercise their franchise. This delayed the distribution of electoral materials and the setting up of working equipment like tables, voting cubicles and the pasting of the list of registered voters on a wall close to that voting point.

One of the communities submerged by flood is Sampou village, in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. This is where the candidate of the PDP hails from. It is located along River Nun, which was celebrated by the late poet and novelist Gabriel Okara in his poem, “The Call of the River Nun”. Ordinarily, it is accessible by road, but at the moment it has been cut off by the flood. Almost all the houses are standing on water. Some of them can only be reached by canoe. To the people, this is normal, because it is something they experience every year.

On this fateful day, Sampou was in a festive mood. It is not often that the community receives such an influx of visitors. The fact that one of the major candidates contesting the election hails from the community made it a focal point for journalists and many other observers. The villagers were sitting in clusters outside their houses, eating and drinking. Indeed, free food was being given out at several points by women supposedly commissioned by the PDP candidate. The expectation of the people of Sampou at that point was that one of their sons was on the verge of becoming the next governor of the state. Most of the activities were restricted to the main street, an elevated concrete road, because other places were flooded.

The flood delayed the commencement of voting across the flooded community. Prospective voters started queuing to vote at about 10.16 am; over two hours behind schedule. Senator Diri, who voted at about 10.40 am at his Polling Unit four, Ward Six observed that the elections were peaceful in his area, but regretted that he got reports of electoral fraud, violence in Nembe, Opolo, and Enewari, among other places.

During the outward trip of this reporter out of the community tragedy struck, as the canoe that was to convey him capsized, throwing all the five occupants into the water. The boat, manned by a young boy from the community accommodates only four occupants. But, in a desperate move to leave the community, a fifth person tried to force his way onto the craft and tipped its balance and, in the process, it capsized. Some of the occupants sustained injuries, while others lost their phones.

Generally, polling units across Yenagoa, the state capital, opened early amidst tight security. For instance, in suburbs like Amarata and Ovom, electoral officials were on ground early. At least, around 8.00 am when this reporter visited the area they had already set up their working equipment but were waiting for the arrival of voting materials from the Registration Area Centre.

Such delays were not peculiar to Yenagoa. Indeed, polling units outside the capital were more affected. The delays were mainly attributed to transportation challenges, due to the state’s topography.

Security operatives were deployed overnight at strategic locations to monitor vehicular movements. At locations in the capital such as Tombia Roundabout and Mbiama junction, the gateway to the city from the East/West Road, officers of the Nigerian Army barricaded the roads. A good number of them at these two locations were females. They stopped vehicles and politely demanded to know their destinations. There was also tight security at INEC headquarters in Yenagoa. Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Army and firefighters were swarming the entire area where the office is located.

It is instructive that Governor Dickson and the PDP candidate started complaining of irregularities such as the hijacking of voting materials in several parts of the state early in the day, after they voted in their respective polling units.

Dickson called on INEC to cancel the election in some parts of the state, particularly Nembe, where he alleged the exercise was characterised by brigandage, hijacking of electoral materials and personnel. He said the thugs were sponsored by pipeline surveillance contractors, Mr. Gabriel Jonah and one Kodjo Sam.

His words: “I call on the Chairman of INEC to issue an order canceling 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 to cook up non-existing figures.”

The governor said the development was an orchestrated plan by the APC-led Federal Government to foist a one-party system on the country. He said rogue elements in the Nigeria Army connived with the APC thugs to perpetrate electoral fraud and insecurity in some parts of Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor and Ogbia and even the capital, Yenagoa.

Dickson added: “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 speak, gun-wielding militiamen 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 centre not caring about the lives and dignity of our people. The APC at the centre is 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. I call on the Inspector General of Police to be true to his professional calling and direct the DIG and all the security operatives to protect the people of Bayelsa. I do not want to be pushed to call on them to defend and protect themselves.”

In contrast, the then APC candidate, now Governor-elect, Chief David Lyon, lauded the process, saying from what he observed so far in his community, INEC was doing a good job to ensure a credible poll. The APC candidate, who voted at his Olugbobiri Ward 4, Unit 1, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area said nobody should create problems to disrupt the poll. His words: “Today’s process is very peaceful. I have seen what INEC has been doing all the while. It is going very peacefully and that’s why we are advising everyone to go peacefully and vote.”

However, incidents of sporadic gunshots were reported in several parts of the state, ostensibly to scare away some prospective voters. For instance, there were reported cases of gunshots at Opolo, a suburb of the capital, in the early hours of the day, as voters began to gather for accreditation. The booming gunshots forced people to immediately retreat to their homes. Despite the presence of security personnel, many prospective voters were believed to have stayed away from polling units for fear of resurgence of violence.

In its statement on the Bayelsa governorship election, a non-governmental organization, YIAGA Africa, said its Watching the Vote (WTV) Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) suggests that there was no voting in 24 per cent of the polling units in the state. The statement said, YIAGA Africa observers reported that there were no elections at 61 out of the 250 sampled polling units during the election.

The organisation said the results released by INEC were manipulated during the collation process. The group said it deployed 500 PVT observers in the eight local governments, 21 mobile observers and eight collation centre observers, to provide a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the exercise.

The statement reads in part: “If the tabulation process had been conducted properly then INEC’s official results would fall within the PVT estimates. The WTV data shows that the election was not conducted in 24 per cent (61 of 250) of YIAGA Africa’s WTV sampled polling units. The incident was more prevalent in 28 polling units in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA), 11 polling units in Ogbia LGA, nine polling units in Ekeremor LGA, seven polling units in Nembe LGA, five in Sagbama LGA and one in Yenagoa LGA of the PVT sampled polling units.

“Statewide this data suggests that elections may not have been held in several hundred polling units, thereby seriously compromising the rights of people of Bayelsa to freely determine for themselves their elected governor.”

The NGO, therefore, called on the National Assembly to prioritise electoral reform in its legislative agenda, to provide opportunities for improvements in future elections.