Over 2,000 IDPs In Bayesla ‘Cos Of Political Violence -Dickson

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has bemoaned the displacement into an Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camp of about 2,000 citizens of the state who he said were forced out of their community in Nembe Local Government Area on account of political violence.

Receiving a delegation of the European Union on a visit to the state, the governor decried the deployment of the military during recent elections noting how his official photographer and a chieftain of his party were killed during the last Presidential Election.

The governor according to a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei spoke when he received the head of the EU Delegation to ECOWAS, Mr. Ketil Karlson and the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska, at the Government House, Yenagoa.

According to him over 2000 persons were chased out of Bassambiri community in Nembe local government area by armed militias during the last election.

He lamented that the Bayelsa citizens who were chased out of the community because of their political affiliation have been living as internally displaced persons and have not returned to their community,

“In the last presidential election, we lost a number of people including my own photographer, a journalist who was shot and killed by military men who had no role at all; no business and no reason for carrying out that gruesome murder,

“Election should not be a situation where the whole state will be afraid what security forces may do or may not do. This is not the climate that can engender peaceful elections.

“We are managing a situation whereby on election day, people come with armed militia,  sometimes aided by Federal security operatives, where people’s homes are attacked and ransacked. People are made to flee to enable others have access to election materials and then they fill results and announce at will,” he said

While commending the European Union for its developmental efforts in the state and its concern for peaceful polls, the governor expressed committment to ensuring a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.

In his remarks, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen said that the EU was committed to the encouragement of the conduct of free, fair and credible elections as part of the effort to aid the deepening of the democratic culture in the country.

According to Ambassador Karlsen, the forthcoming governorship poll in Bayelsa and Kogi states will be a litmus test in strengthening democracy in Nigeria.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria who said they were in the state to interface with the governorship candidates of the various political parties, stressed the need for neutrality on the part of INEC, security forces and other stakeholders in the election.

He cautioned against vote buying and the use youths as political thugs to cause violence.

Also speaking, the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska, said Poland as a member state of the European Union supports democratic government as well as the inclusion of youths and women in the electoral process.

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