Bayelsa: Observers want fresh poll over irregularities

A coalition of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accredited observers have called for a fresh governorship election in Bayelsa State, saying the November 16, election was a setback to the nation’s quest for democratic development.

The head of the coalition under the auspices of Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness (CCLCA), Dr. Gabriel Nwambu, told newsmen yesterday in Abuja that the election was characterised by violence and other irregularities and fell short of the fundamental human rights of citizens of the state as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

Dr. Nwambu said in any democratic state, the protection of rights of citizens remained the primary function of government, and that what his coalition saw in some local governments in Bayelsa State was an aberration to constitutional provision and was grossly not in consonance with the provision of the Electoral Act 2010.