The Labour Party candidate for the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Engr Udengs Eradiri, has said the party would not accept any Bimodal Voters Accreditation Machine System (BVAS) without codes, alleging that some politicians were already planning to clone the machines in their favour.
He stated this yesterday while speaking with journalists at his campaign office in Yenagoa, adding that he was coming as a third force to address the issue of bad leadership in the state.
Eradiri promised to focus attention on education, health, agriculture and infrastructure.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeem its image and conduct an election that would be accepted by all, saying he was confident to emerge victorious in the election.
He said: “They are boasting that they are going to buy the whole INEC, can you imagine the level INEC has been reduced to and people are boasting to buy it, that is how shameful our electoral institution has become, and as Labour Party, and participant in this election, we are using this opportunity to send a message to INEC that they are already planning to buy them, are you now so cheap that you are now on the altar of buying and selling for an election that should be about the will of the people, that should be about issues that affect the well-being of the people, they have turned it to buying and selling?
“They are already gathering money to give to security and INEC, that is the level our electoral process has gone, I will not reduce myself to that level, even if I have all the money in the world, I will not reduce myself to buying and selling the process that will make you have no connection with the people, I have been moving around talking to the people because I want to have that social connection, that is the only way you will not forget the people when you get to the office, but when you buy, even the forces of nature will not be on your side.
“We are coming as the peoples’ force, and the peoples’ force has proven that the people will always have their way, we will go to the people and tell them what they want to hear and because of where we are coming from, people will be able to assess us and say yes, and we will win this election, all those things, we are waiting for them.
“So, anybody that wants to do anything funny during in the Bayelsa election, the whole world will see him, and we will make such people enemies of the state, everybody will know that you are the problem of the country,” he said.
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