Bayelsa Rerun: 2 Soldiers, 4 Policemen, 6 Militants Killed
The rerun election for the Bayelsa governorship in Southern Ijaw local government is living true to predictions that it would be bloody as reports indicate that a total of 12 people have been killed during the election.
The dead were said to have been killed in different local government areas in the state.
According to the reports, which have yet to be confirmed by security agencies, four of those killed were policemen, two were soldiers and six were
suspected militants. An eyewitness in Bayelsa tweeting @Simon Utebor alleged that two people were also hit by stray bullets in the Ogoibiri area of Southern Ijaw LGA.
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The corpses of the dead were allegedly taken to Oboro community in Bomadi, Delta State.
The dead include four policemen, two soldiers and six suspected militants.
As at 6:30pm, voting was yet to be concluded in many other units due to the late arrival of materials and disturbances.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is holding the rescheduled election in Southern Ijaw and pockets of other areas were elections were cancelled during the main poll on December 5, 2015. The PDP candidate and incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson has won six of the seven local governments already declared, while his main challenger and candidate of the APC, Timpre Sylva has won only one local government and hopes to turn the tide with Southern Ijaw.
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Senator Ben Murray-Bruce from the state has expressed worry over the development.
According to him, “If Nigeria cannot hold credible elections in one state out of 36 states, that is incompetence. However, if we cannot hold credible elections in a single Local Government Area of the least populated state in Nigeria, then it is no longer incompetence. It is deliberate.”
