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A Tragic Account Of Last Week’s Rigged Elections In Bayelsa

May 9, 2011

Authoritarianism In Bayelsa - Nigeria’s Own Libya? A Tragic Account Of Last Week’s Rigged Elections, While INEC Looks On

Authoritarianism In Bayelsa - Nigeria’s Own Libya? A Tragic Account Of Last Week’s Rigged Elections, While INEC Looks On

The picture that is being painted is that Nigeria’s elections were generally free, fair and credible. Without doubt, the April elections were an enormous improvement from those in 2003 and 2007, so as a foreign observer I join the ranks of those who praise the President for living up to his promise, and Professor Jega and his team at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a job well done. Apart from the first attempt on April 2, which has gone down in history as the “botched election”, the top management of the Commission is for the most part not to blame for the dramas that developed across the nation over the past weeks; rather it’s the political parties and their affiliates that wreaked havoc and disappointed the electorate.

The media did their best to ensure impartial coverage, which has to be commended, and their sheer presence at the polling units seem to have had a deterring effect on those who plotted hostilities. But what about those areas where no one was watching? Bayelsa is probably the most prominent place where violence and fraud was not only feared but certain, and yet there were no TV networks on ground to report live, and none of the newspapers captured the ruthless events that unfolded during the elections in the conflict-ridden South-South state.

Thankfully, despite the absence of the media, there are records of what happened in Bayelsa as over six hundred “voters-turned-reporters” eagerly submitted their updates via SMS and voice calls from their various polling units and wards during the April 26 and April 28 elections in the state. I was one among a handful of people who was sitting on the receiving end during the exercise, forwarding hundreds of reports about election malpractice to INEC, thinking that they would surely provide irrefutable evidence that would lead to the cancellation of the elections in some parts of the state. So far, I’ve been proved wrong.

Unfortunately the elections were not democratic in Bayelsa. But before sycophant politicians discredit my report as an attempt to embarrass the President (which seemed to have become the defense of choice for PDP politicians these days), let me state that as a foreign observer I have no motivation to do so. In fact, I regard President Goodluck Jonathan as the kind of next generation democratic leader that wouldn’t condone the ruling party’s anachronistic activities in Bayelsa, so I’m compelled to believe that the President himself was not aware of the full extent of election malpractice that took place in his home state. It remains to be seen whether he will call Bayelsa’s PDP to order; if anyone embarrassed the President, it is Bayelsa’s PDP-led State Government that essentially ridiculed the President’s laudable mission to deliver free, fair and credible elections by behaving like it was 1999.

At this point, I would like to recall that Bayelsa became the battle ground of two parties in particular: the PDP, led by Governor Sylva, and the Labour Party, led by Timi Alaibe, the former Special Advisor to the President on Niger Delta. In the months leading up to the April elections, several attacks were unleashed on supporters and property of both Alaibe and the Labour Party, and it was to be expected that the Sylva camp would engage in fraudulent activities to influence the election results in favour of the PDP, downplaying the strong grassroots support enjoyed by the Labour Party. It is the extent and the boldness to which the malpractices were executed that is appalling. Not only did we receive countless reports from all wards in Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Sagbama, Yenagoa and Kolokuma/Opokuma about voter bribery of between N500 to N2500 by PDP agents right at the polling units, alongside rampant police intimidation and multiple PDP thumbprinting, but our reporters also submitted some more elaborate rigging exercises.

SOUTHERN IJAW

On the morning of April 26, the bus that was supposed to carry the materials for Ward 5 (Otuan) arrived in Amassoma empty and several hours late. Party agents and INEC officials were told that the materials went straight to the Ward by boat but other election reporters later stated that voters protested across several polling units in Ward 5 when party agents realised that the result sheets were fake.

According to reports from six polling units in Ward 5, PDP agents paid off the presiding officers, took the ballot boxes after voting was completed and were seen coordinating a group of thugs that put a second thumbprint on almost all Labour Party votes in order to void them. When LP agents tried to intervene, the Army chased them out. As results of Ward 5 were announced, it came to 1800 votes for PDP and 70 votes for Labour Party. Interestingly, Ward 5 doesn’t even have up to 1000 registered voters.

From Ward 1 (Oporoma I), we received reports that the result sheets were hijacked and therefore no results could be announced. As for Ward 9 (Amassoma I), Ward 10 (Amassoma II) and Ward 11 (Amassoma III), PDP agents refused other party agents to verify the materials when they arrived in the morning but voting was repeatedly reported as having been free and fair once the materials finally arrived at the Wards in the afternoon. The results of the three wards as they were submitted to us before they were manipulated showed Labour Party ahead of PDP. In the evening, the palace of a traditional ruler was reportedly used as a collation center, and only PDP agents were allowed to pass the heavy security. PDP was declared winner of the Constituency two days after the election.

Unfortunately, the situation of Ward 5 (Otuan) in Southern Ijaw did not improve during the election held for House of Reps on April 28. Several reports came in which stated that presiding officers had been paid off to thumbprint for PDP, and voter bribery was reported all across Southern Ijaw.

EKEREMOR

It was reported that for the April 26 election, thugs of a Serving Commissioner of the Local Government Service Commission hijacked some of the Ward 1 (Tarakiri) ballot papers of Ayamassa Town. Another voter reported that the hijacked materials were brought to the Serving Commissioner’s home and thumbprinted for Isampou Town. After a free and fair election in Ayamassa Town, which showed Labour Party winning the vast majority, the election materials were supposed to be transported to the collation center by boat. Immediately after the materials entered the boat, the Serving Commissioner’s thugs attacked and managed to capsize the boat, which resulted in the election materials conveniently drowning in the creek. Needless to say, Ayamassa Town’s votes were never rescued.

At 11pm on the eve of the April 26 elections, military men reportedly came with a gunboat to the collation center of Ekeremor Constituency I, carrying the Serving Commissioner, INEC officials, PDP party agents and the ballot papers of Ward 1 but non-PDP party agents resisted the material coming into the collation center as they were aware of the rigging, which resulted in a shoot-out. On the morning of April 29, three days after the election, we received reports that the materials of Ward 1 had not yet been submitted to the collation center but were still at the Serving Commissioner’s house. Still, PDP was declared winner in the Constituency.

The ballot papers for Ward 4 (Oyiakiri III) were reportedly collated and counted at the ward’s collation center, with Labour Party emerging the winner, but were then diverted by the aids of one of the Governor’s Special Assistants before they could make it to the Constituency collation center for final collation.

Upon realisation that Labour Party had won Ward 5 (Oyiakiri IV), which was confirmed by reporters as having enjoyed a free and fair election, it was reported that PDP supporters tried to steal the ballot papers and attacked a NYCS Member who refused to yield to pressure to void the Labour Party votes.

Collation agents of the Constituency collation center complained around 7pm that they had never received the materials from Ward 4 and 5 because they had been taken down to the Ekeremor LG headquarter for collation without the official collation officers.

Later that night, around 1am, we received reports that the ballot papers of Ward 4 and 5 finally arrived at the Constituency collation center but were rejected by non-PDP party agents that suspected they had been rigged at the LG headquarter.

As for Ward 2 (Oyiakiri I) and Ward 3 (Oyiakiri II), ward collation officers had counted the ballot papers that had Labour Party winning the majority, and entered the results into the collation sheet but were intimidated not to announce them. On April 27, the day after the election, it was reported that the Army and the Presiding Officer of the area moved the ballot papers of Ward 2 and Ward 3 from the collation center to Ekeremor LG headquarter in an effort to dillute the results with PDP's "own" ballot papers.

In Ward 8 (Oporomor III), a presiding officer was reportedly seen accepting money and consequently allowed underage voting and ballot stuffing, without shame, right in front of the voters at the polling unit, and one CPC party agent was reportedly severely beaten by the thugs of a serving PDP Senator when he wanted to report the issue.

During the April 28 elections for House of Reps, a Serving Commissioner alledgedly gave instructions to the Police to shoot a Labour Party agent and some Labour Party supporters in Ward 10 (Oporomor V), who all ended up in hospital. According to reports, the election was severely compromised as voters were intimidated not to vote for any other party than PDP.

In Ward 8 (Oporomor III), the material for the April 28 election was not complete with half of the ballot papers and all result sheets missing. The SPO responded to aggrieved voters by claiming that INEC had instructed him to conduct the election despite the missing materials.

SAGBAMA

The April 26 State House of Assembly Election in Ofoni, Ward 3 and 4, did not hold because according to several reports, the ward collation officers connived with PDP to hijack the result sheets. When other party agents insisted that no voting would take place until the result sheets were produced, they were chased away with machetes, while ballot papers and boxes were reportedly destroyed and no elections held. Still, PDP was declared winner of this Constituency.

According to reports, there was no election in Ward 6 (Ossiama) and Ward 11 (Agoro) because ballot papers were hijacked. PDP was later declared winner in those wards as well.

We received several reports that materials for Ward 5 (Ebedebiri) had been hijacked by thugs of a certain Senior Special Advisor to the Governor. The thugs were alledgedly arrested but the police officers were paid off to let them go. Voting reportedly took place “in private” at the SSA’s house.

Also in Ward 12 (Toru-Ebeni), PDP reportedly hijacked the materials and took them to a backroom for thumbprinting, while in Ward 13 (Adagbabiri), PDP agents were seen taking the remaining ballot papers to thumbprint them in their favour, and Ward 14 (Osekwenike) also complained that materials had been hijacked.

Ofoni Ward 3 and 4 became the scene of more drama on April 28, where we received several reports stating that PDP hijacked the materials of the two wards in the morning and then protected a thumbprinting exercise in collaboration with the JTF for the rest of the day, chasing away voters and non-PDP party agents. Elections never took place but results were announced in favour of PDP.

In Ward 5 (Ebedebiri), Labour Party supporters were beaten up and chased out by PDP thugs, and there was mass rigging reported in several polling units of Ward 13 (Adagbabiri), with PDP dashing out bribes for votes, while INEC officials, the police and the military turned a blind eye.

Also, reportedly no election took place on April 28 in Ward 1(Agbere), Ward 2 (Angalabiri), Ward 6 (Ossiama) and Ward 11 (Agoro) due to hijacked materials, which were later delivered with PDP thumbprints to the collation center. When non-PDP collation agents objected, the DPO reportedly slapped the LP collation agent and had his subordinates finish him off.

Five of the twelve wards in Sagbama essentially neither held elections on April 26 nor on April 28, however, the REC went ahead to declare PDP’s victory anyway.

YENAGOA

The April 26 election in Ward 2 (Atissa II) saw some of the polling units transferred to the Paramount Ruler’s house, while reporters from several other polling units in Ward 2 complained about voter bribery, multiple voting by unaccredited voters and police intimidation.

Reporters also claimed that votes cast not in favour of PDP at some polling units in Ward 5 (Epie II) were torn and destroyed.

Reports from polling units in Ward 3 (Atissa III) stated that the Governor’s Famou Tangbei special police squad chased voters away by shooting in the air, which helped PDP supporters engage in multiple voting. Later, we received reports that PDP agents had taken the Ward 3 material into a building and “closed door voting” was taking place.

A student who was reporting from his polling unit in Yenagoa was beaten up by armed officers after he took pictures with his phone of PDP agents stuffing ballot boxes, while the military turned a blind eye.

- - - - -

As a foreign observer, I have no personal interest in the outcome of this election, however, I do find it shocking that results for these areas were declared even though hundreds of eye-witness reports were sent to INEC that clearly state that elections were neither free nor fair, and definitely not credible, if they took place at all. I am left to wonder: What is the point in submitting information about irregularities -as it has been promoted by INEC- if the reports are obviously not taken into consideration? What message is it sending if despite solid evidence that proves malpractice, elections are not cancelled but instead riggers are declared winners? Is it not rendering the entire democratic exercise obsolete if only one party is "allowed" to win?

How can Governor Sylva get away with parading publicly that elections in Bayelsa were "free, fair and credible" after having orchestrated the most ridiculous rigging activities, which were duly recorded by the citizens of his state? How can he dare to call Bayelsa a “one-party state”, when the Labour Party clearly emerged winner in all wards in Ekeremor, Sagbama, Southern Ijaw and Kolokuma/Opokuma in which free and fair elections were reported before the results were later manipulated?

Although comparing Bayelsa to Libya seems far-fetched, there are some alarming similarities. Both places are seemingly ruled by authoritarian leaders that unleash radical violence not only on political dissidents but on ordinary citizens, who wish to exercise their constitutional rights. Both leaders are in total denial, claiming unity and dismissing the existence of political opposition as “media hype”, despite obvious evidence proving otherwise. Both leaders shamefully deny their citizens the right of democracy and the rule of law. Both leaders control a violent secret police squad with a track record for arbitrarily intimidating, pursuing and shooting even law-abiding citizens, without access to a public trial. In both cases, desperate citizens have no place to turn to, as both the law enforcement and the judiciary are conniving with Government. Both places are characterised by unwarranted poverty and underdevelopment despite enormous oil revenues, and both leaders abuse the media to embellish pathetic achievements. Finally, both leaders lack patronage from their electorate and have to resort to financial inducements to display public support. Two notable differences between the two places is that the political opposition in Bayelsa isn't organised as a rebel group, and that elections did take place, even if they made a complete mockery of Nigeria's otherwise democratic progress. 

Dear Professor Jega, it is a pity that you were fooled by your own staff on ground, but it would be a shame if you accepted the results as they stand now, despite the solid evidence stated above that was submitted to INEC last week. If Bayelsa’s REC claims to have rightfully announced the results, he is either a criminal or an oblivious madman, neither of which make for a competent INEC official. To enable verification, the contact information of the respective reporters was submitted alongside the individual reports to avoid any of the reports to be dismissed as “hearsay”. For the sake of Bayelsa’s future, I kindly request you to demand the verification of the information, and take appropriate action.

Ensuring democracy in the Niger Delta is a matter of national security, otherwise there will never be peace.


Emory Talan - Foreign Observer reporting from Bayelsa State during the April 26 and 28 elections

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