Youths from Sagbama and Ekeremor local government areas of Bayelsa State have embarked on peaceful protest to challenge the outcome of the House of Representatives election held in Sagbama/Ekeremor federal constituency on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
The youths who chanted solidarity songs displayed placards with different inscriptions such as “Valid results for APC Reps were cancelled”, “Over voting in Ekeremor”, “Electorates were bullied and intimidated not to vote their choice”, “Cancel wards 5, 11, 3, 4, 13,12”, “We say no to results manipulation by INEC for the rep Sagbama/Ekeremor”, “No accreditation done before voting”, “BVAS was not used in Ekeremor” and “We request for BVAS evaluation in Sagbama/Ekeremor”.
They alleged that there were wards and polling units with issues of over voting, electoral violence and non-use of the Biometric Verification Accreditation System, BVAS, yet the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, collated and declared results in those areas.
The youths also accused INEC of conniving with the House of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Sagbama/Ekeremor federal constituency to cancel and manipulate the election result which was clearly won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Michael Olomu.
Addressing journalists in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the immediate past president, Ekeremor LGA Federated Youth Council, Comrade Etolor Prince said there was crisis and violence in some areas while expressing displeasure that results were still seen in those areas.
He said, “We are calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission to do the right thing. Cancel those results. Those places that voted peacefully, please declare Hon. Michael Olomu the winner because the people of Sagbama/Ekeremor we want light, we are saying no
darkness.
“The Bayelsa State government cannot force us to accept darkness. Our people have decided to toe the path of light and that is at the back of the person of Hon. Mike Olomu. If INEC want peace, they should declare him the winner immediately because that is the man that represent the young, the old and even the ones without strength. Let INEC look at the again and declare Hon. Michael Olomu the winner.
The publicity secretary Sagbama LGA Ward 10, Oyinka Joy Miebiseiya, noted that the people of Sagbama and Ekeremor including the youths, the elderly men and women went all out on Saturday, to cast their vote for the APC candidate, Hon Michael Olomu, because of the projects he did for them.
She said, “The light project he did in Sagbama and in Ekeremor, we were happy and we agreed to give him the total votes hundred percent and we did it. Now we don’t know what is happening to our votes again after our brother has won the election.
“Those people in government who have ruled for eight years could not bring one project for the people. No free education, they could not renovate even a single school, no clean water, no electricity but Olomu who has never been in government brought all these things for us.
“He made our mothers happy, the ones that are sick, he took care of their hospital bills and still gives them money. Those that want to go to school, he pays tuition fees for them. The roads he constructed, these same people who have been in power are the ones using the same roads he built. We say no to electoral injustice.”
Also, the chairman APC Sagbama Ward 10, Zifayei George said that the candidature of Hon Michael Olomu was widely accepted by the people of Sagbama and Ekeremor because of his antecedents.
“Going by our own results, going by our own assessment, we were leading and we are still leading. So anything contrary to our victory, we say no we will not accept that. There was violence in some parts of Sagbama and going by the electoral Act, any place there is electoral violence should be cancelled.
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