A staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission deployed to
distribute electoral materials at Sagbama local government area of
Bayelsa State is being held hostage.
According to an exclusive report on Premium Times,
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday said
its staff deployed to distribute electoral materials at Sagbama local
government area of Bayelsa State were being held hostage.
Sagbama is the home local government of incumbent Governor Seriake
Dickson and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in today’s
governorship election.
Speaking on a live programme on the Nigerian Television Authority
(NTA), INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole
Osaze-Uzzi, said staff deployed to convey materials to Sagbama were
confronted by some gunmen.
Mr. Osaze-Uzzi said the staff had to take refuge at the local
government headquarters. He said another team was held hostage Saturday
morning as they made to distribute materials, adding that security
agents had been contacted to help rescue the electoral officials.
"We are asking that a gunboat be sent to the place immediately.
If necessary, they will have to be evacuated and brought back to
Abuja," the INEC spokesperson said.
But the Deputy Inspector-General of Police overseeing the election,
Argungu Hashimu, said the police was on top of the situation.
"We are taking care of everything. We are the ones on ground and we are doing our job," said Mr. Hashimu, who is also a guest on the NTA programme.
Cases of violent attacks were reported on Friday around some parts of Bayelsa.
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of APC in Bayelsa, Nathan Egba,
also told Premium Times that gunmen attacked APC governorship candidate,
Timipre Sylva and three journalists, including a correspondent of the
Punch newspaper, on Friday night in Odioma, Brass local government
area..
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