Details of how the Interior Minister, General Abdulrahman Dambazzau, Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, former Governor Timipre Sylva and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) caused killings and manipulated the recent general elections in Bayelsa State on behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have emerged.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the Minister of Interior, Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau and the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Tukur Buratai influenced the release of a notorious cultist called Kojo, from security detention for the purpose of facilitating election rigging in the state.
There were killings and violence during the general elections in Bayelsa State. While the state government declared that 40 persons were killed during the elections in the state, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, in-charge of Federal Special anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS, Kolawole Okunola, was abducted and almost beheaded by thugs in Bassambiri Local government area before he was rescued.
The state government has since opened a judicial inquiry over the killings that happened in the state in the course of the election.
However, Pointblanknews.com has gathered that the elaborate plot for the rigging of the March 9 2019 election on behalf of the APC in Bayelsa State was hatched up at a meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on February 7, 2019.
The meeting was attended by the Bayelsa State Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Elder Monday Udo Tom; and APC chieftains from Bayelsa including former governor Timipre Sylva; the acting chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Prof Nelson Braimbraifa; Sunny Igoli, David Lyon, and Dr Denis Otiotio.
According to sources knowledgeable about the meeting, the strategic gathering identified pliable security chiefs and also disbursed huge amount of US Dollars through the REC who is an integral member of the rigging operation.
It was gathered that Elder Monday Udo-Tom, collected huge amount of US Dollars to specifically deliver Nembe and Brass local government areas to the APC.
The REC was said to have promised the APC chieftains that he will move the election materials to Super Racks instead of the designated Racks thereby making it easy for them to spark up violence in Nembe-Bassambiri and other parts of Nembe as well as Brass.
After collecting the money, he was said to have invited the APC chieftains to also share money to INEC staff in the state.
The REC was also said to have held several clandestine meetings with the SSS director in Bayelsa, Gen. Aligbe of 16 Brigade and some other security agencies. He allegedly gave them their share of the election-rigging largesse. The REC also met the Commissioner of Police, who, according to Pointblanknews sources, was said not to be really trusted to do the job.
It was learnt that Otiotio who was the eyes and ears of the APC in INEC, invaded the commission’s meetings at will, albeit with the consent of REC. Sources further revealed that the REC rebuffed the opinions of other management staff of the commission and imposed resolutions mirroring the yearnings of APC on the commission irrespective of its policies.
Prior to the election, a popular cultist, named Kodjo, associated with the former governor, Sylva who had been arrested by the commander of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) was released in controversial circumstances.
Kojo’s release was said to have come after the SSS State Director, Bashir Dawaki and Gen. Aligbe used their links to former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Muhammadu Buhari to contact Minister of Interior, Gen Dambazau on the matter. The minister allegedly leaned on Gen Buratai to immediately call the OPDS commander to release the cultist.
While Kodjo was released to work with the REC, it was learnt that the SSS Director and Gen Aligbe were rewarded through payments in Dollars by the APC.
Subsequently, Sylva and his party men also went to appreciate the OPDS commander, who is now said to be their ally.
On election day, Military and SSS personnel in the targeted local governments received orders from their bosses to support the seizure of the election materials, a situation which gave empowered Sunny Igoli to use his cult boys to assault the DCP in Brass, who had bursted the operation.
However, the REC has refused to honour the invitation of the Police over the outcome of electoral violence in the state. He has instead sent the Administration Secretary of the electoral commission to represent him. The police is still awaiting his visit.
Meanwhile, Otiotio and Aye drafted witness statements for INEC Staff and Adhoc Staff on the outcome of the election.
It was gathered that the REC, Otiotio and one Bishop Degi called on INEC staff and adhoc staff of the commission to come and change their post-election reports, threatening to trail and eliminate those who refuse to cooperate.
A source close to the REC revealed that the grouse of the REC is that he was rebuffed by the state government after he placed an unprecedented requests to them concerning the election.
“He was clearly told that with the developmental strides of the restoration government, it was sure that the administration will win the peoples vote. The REC swore to do all in his capacity to get back at the state government despite the warm welcome reception the REC enjoyed,” another source told Pointblanknews.com
