‘Bayelsa REC violating order on inspection of poll materials’

The governorship candidate of the PDP during the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has accused the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Monday Udoh, of violating the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal order on the inspection of election materials. Diri said  that in defiance of the tribunal’s […]

The governorship candidate of the PDP during the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has accused the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Monday Udoh, of violating the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal order on the inspection of election materials.

Diri said  that in defiance of the tribunal’s order, the REC allowed the APC which is not a party to the prayer, to be part of inspection of sensitive and non-sensitive voting materials used during the November 16 governorship election.

The tribunal had granted the prayer of the PDP counsel to inspect the materials.

A statement by Senator Diri and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa yesterday described the involvement of the APC in the exercise as a flagrant abuse of the tribunal’s order.

He accused the REC of partisanship, saying his role in recent times  justified the position of the PDP that he was working for the APC.

The governorship candidate contended that the REC was working in collaboration with the APC to defy the tribunal.

He called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, to beam his searchlight on the activities of the Bayelsa REC.

He urged security operatives to investigate the disruption of the exercise and bring the culprits to book.

The Head, Voters Education and Publicity in the state,  Mr Wilfred Ifogah, said that the inspection exercise commenced peacefully on Monday after it was disrupted.