Apathy rules Bayelsa bye-election
March 22, 2012 by Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa
Most voters in Sagbama/Ekeremor, Bayelsa State, shunned Wednesday’s bye-election to fill the vacant seat at the House of Representatives.
The seat became vacant after Mr. Seriake Dickson won the February 11 governorship election.
Our correspondent, who monitored the election in Sagbama Local Government Area, observed that while some of the voters went about their normal daily activities, others remained at homes.
There was, however, an improved turnout of voters at Ward 2, Unit 5 in Toru-Orua where Dickson voted.
Out of the 340 registered voters in the polling unit, 240 persons were accredited with at least 90 casting their votes before our correspondent left the area.
It was also found that the number of ballot papers was less than the number of registered voters in some units like the Delware Town Hall polling unit in Toru Orua.
Out of the 145 registered voters in the area, the electoral officers said they were allocated 129 ballot papers by INEC.
Dickson described the election as peaceful, advising the contestants to accept its outcome.
He said, “I hope that whatever the outcome of this exercise will be all democrats and all participants will accept it. Elections cannot be a do-or-die affair
“I will try as much as possible to provide free and conducive environment for democratic ideals to flourish.”
It was learnt that no voter was accredited in some of the polling units even after the period stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission for accreditation.
For instance, no voter was found around the Bobiri Market Square polling unit 20, ward five, in Ebelebiri as the ad-hoc electoral officers were found idle at 1.30pm when our correspondent visited the area.
Though the polling unit had 392 registered voters, none of them participated in the accreditation process.
One of the electoral officers in the unit, who refused to mention her name, told our correspondent that most of the voters had gone to their farms before accreditation started in the community.
