Bayelsa Election Was Disgraceful: Edwin Clark Returns To Blast Dickson, Sylva

Outspoken Ijaw leader and former federal commissioner for information, Edwin Clark has described the conduct of the Bayelsa state governorship election as not only a disgrace but a show of shame.

Speaking on Wednesday, January 13, at a press conference at his residence in Abuja, Clark said Governor Seriake Dickson and a former governor of the state, Timipre Sylva lacked basic knowledge about democracy, The Punch reports.

He criticized Dickson and Sylva over their conduct and that of their supporters during the just-concluded governorship election, describing them as non-democrats and power-grabbers.

“It is very unfortunate that both of them are not democrats and therefore do not know what democracy means.

“What they know is power. I want to repeat here a very popular and apt saying that “Power belongs to the Almighty God. He gives it at each given time to whoever He wishes,” he said.

According to him, the political violence that marred the election was as a result of desperation and greed.

He noted that both men had governed the state before and the people had an idea of their capabilities, so they should have just let the electorate vote peacefully for their preferred candidate.

Clark said he had to speak up even though he had resigned from partisan politics because the election was a disaster, adding that both men could not be exonerated from blame.

The Ijaw leader advised Sylva to accept the result of the election in the interest of Bayelsa people, while calling on Dickson to extend a hand of fellowship to the loser.

He said subjecting the people to another election posed grave danger.

Clark said: “If a son of Ijaw land can prevent nationwide bloodshed by conceding defeat, why can’t we replicate this same feat at home and display uncommon courage?

“I have heard Sylva’s statement that he will go to the tribunal to prove that the elections were not properly conducted due to an alleged conspiracy between the Independent National Electoral Commission and the PDP.”

He appealed to Sylva to allow peace reign saying he was a young man and has the opportunity of contesting again in 2019.

Dickson scored a total of 134,998 votes to beat Sylva, who scored 86,852 votes in the supplementary election which held on January  9.

A Peoples Democratic Party group known as the Restoration Campaign Organisation had alleged that Sylva went drinking and clubbing after losing the election.


Read more gists here:  http://afrogalleria.page.tl