Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC, Mr. Yekini Nabena has declared that the plans of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and its outgoing governor in Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson to rig the November 16 governorship election in the state would never come to fruition.
At a news conference Wednesday in Abuja, the APC deputy spokesman who warned the PDP to jettison any plan to disrupt the electoral process, however, said he has also petitioned the Inspector General of Police IGP on the worsening security situation in the state.
Reacting to the violence that erupted in the state capital, Yenagoa on Monday following the disputed removal of the state Assembly Speaker, Nabena said information at his disposal has it that some elements of the opposition had mobilised thugs with dangerous weapons from neighbouring states to cause unrest in Bayelsa state ahead of the polls.
“As witnessed in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly violence, the PDP administration is already arming thugs and deploying the state security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo to harass political opponents in his party PDP and APC members, supporters and leaders in the state ahead of the governorship election.
“With the popular APC candidacy of David Lyon, Bayelsans have already decided to do away with the failed administration of Governor Dickson and his stooge which he has foisted on the PDP. No amount of rigging and intimidation will deter Bayelsans. The wind of change is blowing across the state, regardless of party leanings”, Nabena said.
According to the Bayelsa-born APC chieftain, “Before the 2019 general elections, I had called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu to probe the illegal activities of the state security outfit. Operation Doo Akpo is no longer a crime-fighting outfit but now a political tool assisting Governor Dickson and chieftains of PDP to rig elections. The security outfit must be proscribed and disbanded for the safety and security of the state.
“We cannot allow the governor for the sake of his selfish politics, undermine and rubbish the works of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure lasting peace and security in Bayelsa State and the entire Niger Delta. Governor Dickson should also be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order in the coming election.”
Operatives of Operation Doo Akpo are drawn from the Police, but Nabena said they report directly to the governor. Nigeria News
