Gov Dickson bows to pressure, reverses appointment of BSIEC chairman

The Bayelsa state Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, has bowed to pressure from the opposition political parties in the state over the appointment of a former member of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Ball Oyarede as the chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) with the announcement of Hon. Remember Ogbe as a replacement.

The choice of Ogbe was however, received with mixed by over 76 opposition political parties in the state.

They alleged that both Oyarede and Ogbe are card carrying members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Governor Dickson, during the swearing in ceremony of Ogbe as the Acting Chairman, urged him and members of the Commission to conduct a free, fair and peaceful local government poll.

Meanwhile, some members of PDP from Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw and Brass local government councils of the state have kicked against the parameters adopted by the Party to nominate the flag bearers of the Party for the August 10 local government election in the state.

In Yenagoa LG, groups known as the Gbarain Restoration group, Gbarain Youth Federation Citizen Forum and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) led by Dr Suowari Godstime,  Ebiye Martins and Perepuayagha Ebikuro respectively, in a protest letter addressed to Governor Dickson and the State Party Chairman, Hon. Cleopas Moses express dissatisfaction with the choice candidates of the party.

They said: “We are shocked to receive the news of the purported nomination of one Mr. Uroupaye Nimizuo by the Bayelsa Sate Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Barr Kemela Okara unbehalf of Yenagoa local government area stakeholders.

We write to clarify and put on notice that the recent nomination was done single handedly by the SSG without due consultation with party leaders and stakeholders across the Yenagoa local government Area.

“Let it be on record that the recent 2015/2019 election this said SSG almost lost his ward 11 but for the intervention of stakeholders from other wards in constituency II,” they said.

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