The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the December 5 Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Election, Chief Timipre Sylva, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to add up and announce the results from the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and declare a winner in the elections.
In a petition to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, which was copied to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), Sylva stated that the commission lacked the powers to cancel already concluded or on-going election.
Chief Timipre Sylva, in the copy of the petition made available to newsmen in Yenagoa by his Media Aide, Doifie Borukuribo, said his call is based on the provision under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), that there is no power either, express or implied that is vested on the Resident Electoral Commissioner, or any staff whatsoever to cancel election that has commenced or concluded, in any manner as was done in Bayelsa state.
According to Sylva” The Commission’s power, in the above is limited only to the postponement of election that has not commenced,” Sylva wrote in the letter dated 8th December 2015.
“Should the commission feel “strongly that it has the powers to cancel already concluded or on-going elections,” it should also cancel the elections in Ekeremor, Sagbama Local Government Areas, Wards 4 and 5 of Yenagoa and Ward 8,9 and 10 of Nembe Local Government Areas.”
On Southern Ijaw Local Government, Sylva admitted that there was no election in the area on December 5, 2015, due to some violence. He, however, insisted that on December 6: “ election materials were distributed from Local Government Headquarters at Oporoma to the different ward headquarters, and elections conducted in a free and fair manner at the different polling units and results announce.
“That elections were concluded on Sunday 6th December without any reported violence from the polling units or wards either by INEC officials on the field at the units or ward level.” “That the different results from the LGAs were being collated at the state collation centre in Yenagoa from Sunday 6th to 7th December as the results were brought in by the different LGAs, and the Returning officer never reported any violence either during the election or while collation was ongoing as he had told everyone that the results of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area are still being awaited.”
