Bayelsa Guber Poll Auction Sales, Not Election, LP Candidate, Eradiri Says

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the last Saturday gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, on Tuesday, rejected the outcome of the just concluded election that returned Governor Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to office.

Eradiri, who stated that the election was held against the cardinal principles, laid down procedures and ground rules that democratic elections should follow, described the conduct of the exercise as market squares and business centres where votes were auctioned, bargained for and purchased.

In a press briefing at his Yenagoa campaign office, Eradiri accused the state government of emptying the state vault and deploying monies of the state’s commonwealth to induce and compromise voters.

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“Our state resources were used to intimidate our traumatized people, who have been impoverished by this government. This government deliberately weaponized poverty and forced the people to sell their conscience for money at the polls.

“I consider vote-buying a crime against humanity. I cannot engage in vote buying because it is a demonstration of a lack of performance, unpopularity, incompetence and leadership failure. I have always emphasized its incompetence. I am shocked at the level it took the 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 of potable water, dearth of infrastructures, ravaging poverty and rot in the educational sector,” he said.

Eradiri, who faulted the alleged vote buying during the last election exercise in connivance with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agents at polling units, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe all electoral officers that participated in the election.

“They have to be probed. I wonder why INEC cannot enforce its rules to ensure credible elections in the country. There was intimidation and harassment of voters, violence, bypass of BVAS, among other irregularities, which vitiated whatever results they announced at the collation centre,” he said.

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.