Sylva APC group wants Bayelsa REC removed

Thursday, December 10, 2015 4:47 pm

Bayelsa REC Mr Baritor Kpagih and the returning officer, Professor Zana Akpagu

The Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State has called for the immediate replacement of the Bayelsa State Resident Electoral Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Baritor Kpagih.

The party also raised a fresh alarm over alleged complicity of Mr. Kpagih in last Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The party made the accusation in a press statement issued and signed by Chief Nathan Egba Director, Media and Publicity of Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation‎ and made available to TheNEWS.

The statement noted that the party had earlier raised the concerns that some top officers of the Commission in Yenagoa office were working for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to undermine the election.

Below is the full text of the statement.

“We had thought that Mr. Kpagih, would remain neutral and not allow his relationship with the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the former first Lady, Dame Patience, affect the conduct of the election.

“But his actions clearly showed that he was doing the bidding of the former President who appointed him into INEC as a Resident Electoral Commissioner in 2012.

“We are now compelled to let the whole world know that Mr. Kpagih and Dr. Jonathan, were colleagues in the Nigeria Customs Service.

Mr. Kpagih, rose to the position of an Assistant Comptroller-General of the customs service before his compulsory retirement in 2008, after which he was appointed into INEC by Dr. Jonathan.

“The body language of Mr. Kpagih, who is from Rivers State(state of birth of former First lady, Dame Patience) was a clear indication that he was acting out a script handed over to him to deliver the PDP like he has done previously.

“For Mr. Kpagih to have allowed the charade called election in the 7 Local Government Areas already declared, sends strong signals that the INEC was willing to just announce the PDP the winner.

“The preliminary report of the number one election monitoring group in Nigeria, Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, has painted the true picture of the December 5 election, which was charasterised by violence, intimidation and manipulation.

“And as a campaign organization, we are worried that the umpire, INEC, will accept results in such local government areas as Sagbama, Ekeremor, Nembe, Ogbia and parts of Yenagoa despite our protest highlighting that the electoral process had been compromised.

“Our resolve therefore, is that Mr. Baritor Kpagih, should be honest to disqualify himself from the conduct of this election or he be redeployed immediately because of his personal relationship with the former President, who is an interested party in the election.”