The declaration of Governor Seriake Dickson as winner of the Bayelsa State governorship election was a "flagrant abuse" of the electoral process, the State Agent of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Mr. Dennis Otitio, has said.
"The process started with a fragrant abuse of the process from the beginning to this point," he said in an interview with Channels TV shortly after Dickson was returned as winner of the poll.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission ought to have declared the election inconclusive, and called for a rerun in areas were elections were cancelled.
"Because Section 26 of the Nigerian Electoral Act is very clear; it says that where the difference between the winner and the runner up is less than the total votes cancelled, the Returning Officer is not supposed to make a return," he said.
In this case, the total votes cancelled are about 53,000, while the difference between PDP and APC is 48,146. In this circumstance, the returning officer is not supposed to declare any winner."
Otitio also accused INEC of ignoring its protests and petitions. One of the issues raised, he said was that the electoral commission’s ad hoc exercised undue discretionary powers in cancelling election in APC strongholds.
As a result, he said he declined to sign the results announced, saying there was a plot to rig APC out from the onset.
The PDP state agent, however, said the APC was making unfounded allegation. He advised the party to take its case to the election petitions tribunal if it was unhappy with the outcome of the election.
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