High rate of violence ahead Bayelsa Election Worrisome- Centre for Transparency Advocacy.

 By INNOCENT TITUS, October 24, 2019 

The election observer group, Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has said it is concerned with the high rate of violence ahead of the November 16 Bayelsa governorship elections.
  In a statement signed in Abuja by the CTA executive director, Faith Nwadishi, the group urged the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police to secure the citizens, election observers and INEC staff during and after the elections.  “We are alarmed at the rate of violence being witnessed in the  state which in our opinion will lead to serious security breaches, a replay of the 2019 general elections scenario if not curtailed now,” Nwadishi said in the statement. She explained that the reason for the concern of the election observer group is that Bayelsa state is a hot zone during elections, stressing that the incidence of violence may hamper the elections if not quickly addressed. The CTA boss recalled that on assumption of duties in 2015, the first major tasks undertaken by the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu was the conduct of the governorship election in Kogi state on November 21, 2015, and that of Bayelsa state on December 5, 2015. She also recalled that the levels of violence unleashed during both elections were unprecedented especially, in Bayelsa state leading to the two elections being declared inconclusive. She said, “Based on the antecedents of election violence in these two states; CTA is raising these concerns emanating from eye witness reports from our observers and monitoring of media reports following the activities of politicians in the two states. “CTA observed during the party primaries, that political parties traded on the deliberate disruption of party primaries by means of violence especially by the two dominant parties of PDP and APC. There were equally, alleged manipulations and trading of party nominations by other parties across the states to the highest bidders. The rancorous primaries by the two dominant parties of PDP and APC were laced and disrupted by violence. Nwadishi said the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud had expressed worries and concerns at the rate of reported violence and voter inducement before the election in separate meetings with stakeholders in Kogi and Yenegoa She said it is important that politicians become circumspect in their speeches and at this time should eschew hate speeches or comments that might trigger violence. According to her, this is not the time to make inflammatory speeches that will impact negatively on the elections.