The Bayelsa State chapter of the Conference of United Political Parties has called for the immediate redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commission in the state, Tom Udoh, for his alleged bias and ineffectiveness during the presidential and National Assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, CUPP Chairman, Edwin Tare, urged the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, to remove Udoh for also colluding with the military and the All Progressives Congress to cause mayhem in some parts of the state.
CUPP alleged that it was informed that the REC was holding clandestine meetings with some APC chieftains and the military hierarchy on how they would rig the state Houses of Assembly election.
He said, “We all saw the mayhem in some areas; the crisis that was caused by thugs and military men. We are calling on the INEC chairman to immediately redeploy the Bayelsa REC.
“The Bayelsa REC was not effective in the last election and we don’t see any reason why he will be conducting the forthcoming election.
“In the last elections, you are aware that election materials were stolen from Brass, Sagbama, Southern Ijaw and Yenagoa local government areas of the state.
“A total of 63 card readers were stolen from these various areas. The electoral laws say that all results must be referred to the card reader, but our REC refused to obey that electoral law and acknowledged results of all the areas where these card readers were stolen.”
Also speaking, the state Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council, Eneye Zedougha, said the REC was not fit to deliver a free, fair and credible election and so must be redeployed.
Both CUPP and IPAC chieftains also said they had video evidence of the nocturnal meetings between the REC and some APC chieftains in the state where some monies exchanged hands.
Meanwhile, stakeholders of the PDP and the APC in disputed Bassambiri, Nembe local government areas of Bayelsa State have agreed to work for the success of the state assembly election on Saturday.
This was the resolution reached by the stakeholders after a peace meeting with heads of security agencies in the state.
At the end of the meeting, the stakeholders resolved that security operatives deployed to Bassambiri should not be obstructed from entering the community to carry out their lawful duties.
They also resolved that security personnel deployed in the area should be neutral and professional in the discharge of their duties while every dug road found in the community be covered up.
According to the resolution, the stakeholders also agreed that any bridge destroyed should be reconstructed while all those who left the area be allowed to return to their various communities without molestation.
The stakeholders urged those returning to the community to conduct themselves lawfully and insisted on the arrest and prosecution of those behind the killing of Kenneth Adeboh in Bassambiri before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Dr. George Fente, Adire Ayebainaemi and Pastor Patience Amaeri signed the resolution on behalf of the PDP while Hon. Ayenumomoipre Otokol, Samuel O. Samuel and Favour Emmanuel endorsed the peace deal for the APC.