Bayelsa Poll: Protesters Reject Nembe Bassambiri Results

Protesters yesterday stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bayelsa State alleging that there were no elections and declared the purported results from Nembe Bassambiri as concocted.

Among the protesters were notable civil society organisations, women and youth groups, state and National Assembly members and other concerned citizens.

They gathered at the office of INEC to protest an alleged move by the top leadership of INEC to distort the votes in the Saturday election.

As early as 9am the angry protesters blocked the ever-busy Swali Road location of INEC to prevail on the commission from accepting the results from Nembe Bassambiri, which they said were concocted.

The Bayelsa State attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Mr Dambo Biriyai (SAN) told journalists during the protest that election did not take place in Nembe Bassambiri.

He called on INEC resident electoral commissioner in the state, Mr Obo Effanga and the South-South commissioner for INEC, May Agbamuche-Mbu, to do what is right by rejecting the “fake results”.

Biriyai said PDP members who visited their country home of Bassambiri were prevented entry by the combined team of SWAT police and APC thugs.

He stated further that the APC only wrote outrageous results that were not products of any voting.

The commissioner said, “If what we are here for is allowed to go on, it would be a massive rape on democracy. We are here because we were disenfranchised in Nembe Bassambiri. And no voting took place there.

“Precisely on November 10, 2023, in order to vote for our candidate, about 60 buses left Yenagoa to Nembe Bassambiri with escort. When we got there, the SWAT team blocked the entrance with All progressives, APC youths.

“They said we should come down. When one of our boys, Barr. Dilli came down, they manhandled him and he escaped by the whiskers. Thereafter, they started blocking them up to the extent that they threw tear gas at us. They said we cannot come in. So, most of us were scared so they had to leave. There were no votes. No election in Nembe Bassambiri constituency 2 and 3.

“And we now found out that results are starting to come on social media. Results that were uploaded in the BVAS. And you see that these results are the kind of results that are so outrageous.

“We don’t know where they are coming from. So, we are here to appeal to INEC. We are not coming to discourage INEC. We just want them to follow the rule of law, ensure that they do what is right in line with Mr President’s resolve that there should be free and fair elections in this country.

“They manipulated everything. INEC should cancel Nembe Bassambiri results because there were no elections there,” he said.