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The Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa State, Engr Udengs Eradiri, has rejected the processes and the results of the just concluded election in the State that produced the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and the state Governor, Douye Diri,as winner.
Eradiri,said that the election was held against the cardinal principles, laid down procedures and ground rules, Notting that democratic elections to offices especially that of the governor of a state must be free, fair, credible and peaceful.
Speaking in a press conference in his campaign office, Yenagoa, on Tuesday 14th November, Eradiri stated that the exercise was marred by massive and mind blowing vote buying.
He hinted ” We were shocked that the state government converted all the polling units to market squares and business centers where votes were auctioned,haggled over, bargained for and purchased.The state government emptied our vault and carelessly deployed billions of our common wealth to induce and compromise voters.
“Our state resources, were used to intimidate our traumatized people,who have been impoverished by this government,The government deliberately weaponised poverty and forced the people to sell their consciences for money at the poll.I consider vote-buying a crime against humanity and cannot engage in vote-buying because it is a demonstration of lack of performance, unpopularity, incompetence, leadership failure.
“I am not surprised that this state government resorted to vote buying because I have always emphasised it’s incompetence.I am only shocked at the level it took it’s malfeasance to.The state government has added another record to its bag of incompetent achievements making the November 11 Bayelsa election the most monetized poll in the history of the country.
“I contested this election to prove a point that this incompetence in Bayelsa can be challenged.I contested to solve the problems of lack potable water,lack of infrastructures, ravaging poverty and rot in the educational sector.I contested because I have the capacity, experience, ideas and the courage to deliver good governance to our people”He said.
Eradiri,who accused officials of INEC and security agencies for compromising,said they were all bought over to do the biddings of the government and it’s party ,the PDP,adding that he has no regrets contesting.
“I am happy I ran for this election because it afforded me the opportunity to go round all the creeks, harmlets , communities to see the surffering of our people and the endemic poverty ravaging them. It allowed me to further appreciate the beauty, untapped potential and wealth of my state. It gave me many ideas of what should be done to elevate Bayelsa and emancipate our people from the shackles of poverty.
“I wonder why INEC cannot enforce it’s rules to ensure credible elections in the country.There was intimidation and harassment of voters, violence,bypass of BVAS among other irregularities which have vitiated whatever results they announced at the collation centre.
He called on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe all electoral officers that participated in the election, saying most of them are the reasons for the rampant voter inducement in the country election and the massive monetary inducements that occurred in the Bayelsa election.
Eradiri, who declared himself the winner with the only valid votes by eligible voters, commended Bayelsans who defiled the intimidation and rejected inducements to vote for him, adding that they were the real heroes of the election and their votes were the authentic and valid votes cast.
