Mohammed Shosanya
The Nigeria Police Force has declared that the three senatorial districts in the state are politically volatile,ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) supervising South-South zone,Daniel Sokari-Pedro, made declaration during a meeting with election stakeholders at the Police Officers’ Mess in Yenagoa, on Thursday.
Sokari-Pedro, who is in charge of Election Management Security in the 2023 Bayelsa governorship polls, also said that the force had identified five local government areas as the most politically violence-prone council areas in the state.
He named the five local government areas as Nembe, Southern Ijaw, Brass, Sagbama and Kolokuma/Opokuma, adding that “almost all the local government areas are politically-volatile” as far as election was concerned.
Governor Douye Diri, who is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is from Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA, while his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Timipre Sylva, is from Brass LGA.
Sokari-Pedro emphasized that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, was committed to free and fair electoral process.
He assured the people of the state that the police would ensure a peaceful atmosphere before, during and after the polls through adequate deployment of men and officers in collaboration with sister-security agencies.
He said: “It is a known fact Bayelsa State is a peaceful state. Nevertheless, it is, election-wise, a volatile state. The three senatorial districts that make up the state are politically volatile. And some of the local governments and flash-points have been identified in the three senatorial zones.
“These include Sagbama, Nembe, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Southern Ijaw and, I think, Brass. Almost all the local governments are politically volatile. But the ones I have just mentioned are the most volatile. I mentioned Nembe, Southern Ijaw, Brass, Sagbama and Kolokuma/Opokuma.”
The DIG,who was accompanied by his deputy on election duty in Bayelsa, AIG Ebong Eyibio, and the AIG Zone 16 headquarters, Yenagoa, AIG Paul Odama, also read the riot act to troublemakers, particularly violent youths and their principals, warning them to steer clear of voting centres across the state.
He said: “Unfortunately, the youths have been identified as vanguards and merchants of elections savagery. And the so-called godfathers and principals have been known to be purveyors and patrons of those evil.
“You will agree with me that the trend of election brigandage is becoming a norm for two reasons. One, erstwhile, when suspects are arrested, they are treated with kid gloves. Secondly, the sponsors are likely not arrested. If arrested, they are not prosecuted. This encourages a culture of impunity.
“But we are assuring the peace-loving Bayelsans that in this election, not only the proxies will be dealt with, their identified principals will equally be dealt with. Take note. The fate that befalls the proxies will be visited on the principals.”
Sokari-Pedro also stated that as part of preparations for peaceful governorship polls, officers and men had been directed to carry out a show of force in all the local government areas on Thursday and Friday, 48 hours before election day.
He also warned that all arrested troublemakers would be put out of circulation for the duration of the election, and would be prosecuted afterwards.
“Any civilian that is armed and close to, or is at any polling centre, shall be promptly arrested. And failure to do so by the policeman himself or the brother-security agent who is responsible for such a lapse, shall be arrested. That will tell you we are not joking”, he added.
He also cautioned officers and men on election duty to be professional in their conduct, adding any policemen caught involved in electoral malpractice of any kind, including escorting very important personalities to polling booths and interference in the balloting process, would be arrested and made to stand orderly room trial.