All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Bayelsa State have accused the National leadership of abandoning the party’s governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva during the November 11 governorship election.
The concerned members in a petition addressed to Ganduje and jointly signed by Dr. Otiti Etionumeya and 37 others further alleged th Bayelsa was used as a sacrificial lamb to satisfy some vested interests
Etionumeya, addressing journalists on Friday in Abuja said they found it strange and curious that the party’s candidate was left in the lurch by the party at the national level at a time he needed support.
He said: “We state unequivocally our utter shock, disgust, and disappointment at the audacious compromise and subversion of the will of the people of Bayelsa State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in its bold-faced cancellation of a whooping 84,806 votes scored by our great party, the APC in the above-mentioned election.”
“We find it strange and curious that our party’s candidate was left in the lurch by the party at the national level at a time he needed the support of the party the most, and are therefore inclined to believe that the Bayelsa State chapter of the APC has once again been used as a sacrificial lamb to satisfy some vested interests without any consideration for the party’s teeming members and supporters who have worked assiduously and at great cost for our party’s victory.”
Etionumeya noted that party stakeholders in Bayelsa were inclined to believe that the State chapter of APC has once again been used as a sacrificial lamb.
He added: “If the Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wasn’t sacrificed to please some vested interests, how do we explain the audacious cancellation of results in areas such as Ogbia, Nembe, Brass, and Southern Ijaw L.G.
“As where our great party had a clear lead until the unfathomable happened, with the INEC jettisoning the respective collation centres where the results ought to have been declared and moved the collation of results to the state collation centre in Yenagoa, the state capital where results already declared at polling units with our party in clear lead were cancelled in flagrant contravention of Section 51 of the Electoral Act, 2022?”
Etionumeya pointed out that results in Gov. Douye Diri’s stronghold of Sagbama, Kolokuma/Okpokuma, and Ekeremor were allowed to be collated at their respective local governments area collation centres.
He said they witnessed cancellation of results in other places where the APC were in clear lead across the state thus exposing the deep-seated conspiracy to deny us victory.
Etionumeya added that tthey also found very disheartening the statement credited to Ganduje on the 24th of November, 2023, where he said, “We lost the election in Bayelsa, and we have conceded in good faith. You directed that the elections should be free, fair, and peaceful, and it was so.”
“Mr . Chairman, sir, we make bold to say the governorship election in Bayelsa State was neither free nor fair as it was characterized by intimidation, violence, and manipulation of results in favour of the PDP. We therefore, with profound respect, beg to differ with your position on the Bayelsa State governorship election.
“We, therefore, humbly, and passionately appeal that the party spares nothing at ensuring that the stolen mandate freely given to our party’s governorship candidate and his running mate is duly restored as we can no longer afford to be the sacrificial lamb in every governorship election.”