Members of the Bayelsa Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Monday described as “false” the claims by some youth groups and politicians that the people of Bayelsa State are not ready for the January 9th supplementary election in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) and the other 101 units of Ekeremor, Nembe, and Sagbama areas of the State.
Members of the Bayelsa Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Monday described as “false” the claims by some youth groups and politicians that the people of Bayelsa State are not ready for the January 9th supplementary election in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) and the other 101 units of Ekeremor, Nembe, and Sagbama areas of the State.
According to IPAC, a group made up of members of the existing political parties, said that the claims of alleged insecurity and non-readiness by the youth groups and politicians have been discovered to be false and unpatriotic and, therefore, the people of Bayelsa State are ready for the elections.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Yenagoa, IPAC noted that Bayelsa is peaceful and all of its voters are ready for the election. The statement also called out the Ijaw Youth leaders for their calls for the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and for a delay in the January 9th election.
“The call by the Ijaw Youth leaders for the redeployment of the REC and the rescheduling of the January 9th election is without merit,” the statement read in part.
The statement was signed by the Chairman, Prince Oniekpe and Secretary, Ben Prince Elemah.
“We condemn in its entirety, the activity of the so-called group [Ijaw Youth leaders], who are apparently unaware of the agreement reached by all stakeholders with INEC in Abuja on December 17th,2015.
“Among the decisions taken by the leadership of all the 20 Political Parties and their Governorship candidates, is that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) or any other officials of INEC should not be redeployed, but rather the REC was asked to work diligently to complete the election process in the State,” the statement continued.
IPAC noted that preliminary investigation into the activities of the youth group indicated that the supposed protest along the streets of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital never took place.
IPAC’s statement concluded with a call upon the people of Bayelsa State to completely disregard the so-called “lack of security” in the State and that the organization stood behind the decision made on December 17th to hold the supplementary elections without redeploying the REC.