Olufemi Samson Aduwo, President of Rights Monitoring Group and the Executive Director of Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI) and RMG a partner of World Bank and CCDI in an exclusive interview with Top Celebrities Magazine, bares his mind on the Bayelsa State governorship election.
What is your take on Bayelsa guber election?
The PDP candidate is leading with over 33,000 votes, but the total votes that have been cancelled so far has already outnumbered the 33,000 votes. So, we are now thinking that if they do the Southern Ijaw election, that might not be the end because the number of this cancellation may continue. And if the trend of the cancellation persists, and at the end of the day, the total number of votes between the winner and the loser will not be up to the cancelled votes.
We learnt that they have accepted the result except for one local government area
As at today, Dickson is leading with about 33,000 votes and the total votes cancelled so far is more than that. So, by electoral law, they must do a run-up in those areas, the same thing happened in Kogi State. If that trend continues, there is no way you will see a clear winner because if they are to declare the Ijaw-South votes, I will tell you that APC won.
APC are alleging that in Sagboma Local Government Area where Gov. Dickson comes from, the same thing that happened in Southern Ijaw also happened there and INEC accepted the result
In Brass, the APC members chased away the PDP people to release the documents
In the recent Guardian Newspaper, it was reported that the INEC official said he was offered bribe…
Did he mention the person that offered him the bribe?
No… He said he was offered money
It is very wrong of the INEC official; he could have atleast alerted or informed the police before collecting the money. It could have been marked money.
Let me tell you something about Bayelsa State election that is not too good. The police deployed fourteen thousand policemen; DIG, AIG, CP, Battalions of Mopol, Army and Navy and at the end of the day, the whole exercise collapsed. We are saying that the security could have done their homework very well. Moreover, anytime you see high profile policemen deployed for an election, they don’t seem to help matters because everyone is simply looking for where they will eat.
I happened to be a board member of an election by INEC in 2009, not as an observer. We conducted Anambra election and I knew what Onovo did as an IG then to collect money. The police will collect money from INEC for logistics and will still take money from the police authority.
What is the way out for Bayelsa election?
The way out is that a clean and clear winner will not emerge in the next election, it is going to be a bloody one. The remaining local government will determine who wins the state. PDP would want to retain power, they believe they don’t want to bring shame to the former president and the APC on the other hand are in power and in control. The man there was their former candidate regardless of his case with the EFCC. The two of them have thugs and they both violated the electoral law with impunity. I am seeing a situation whereby the election will remain inclusive again.
What now happens if the January election becomes inclusive?
The election will continue… INEC will have to choose another date and Dickson will definitely hand over when that time comes. And if they cannot conduct the election before the stipulated time, then he will hand over power to the State Speaker as the interim governor.
As someone very conversant with election matters, what is your advice to INEC in this matter?
The INEC should come out openly and let us know the position of the card reader. Is card reader part of electoral system or administrative procedure? In the case of Jimi Agbaje versus Ambode in Lagos, it is true that the case of card reader was inconsequential. In the case of Wike and Dakuku Peterside… has it ever occur to you that this issue of card reader is situated in the law that is very relevant? Can you see a court giving conflicting judgment and then the victim of the judgment happens to be a PDP candidate, it looks suspicious.