Bayelsa Poll: We Won’t Tolerate Rigging, Ballot Box Snatching—Gov Badaru

Williams Anuku Abuja

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned that it would not tolerate any form of rigging and ballot box snatching in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State.

Jigawa state governor, Abubakar Badaru gave the warning on Friday when he spoke to State House correspondents after the jumat prayer at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

”We will not tolerate any form of rigging, vote buying or ballot box snatching, once there is a free and fair environment, APC will win with a landslide.”

He advised the people of Bayelsa to remain peaceful, and stick to ”one man-one-vote, one -woman-one-vote, stating categorically, we know we will win.”

The governor who met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari about thirty minutes before the Jumat prayers, said that the APC is very prepared for the Bayelsa election, expressing optimism that the party would win the November 16 governorship election.

He said, “we are very very ready and the stake is open for us to take.”

On the allegations by the opposition party PDP that the APC was recruiting one thousand thugs to distort the election in Kogi State he said that he was not aware of such allegations.

He however, said, “I am chairing Bayelsa election I am not chairing that of Kogi. But I know, none of our member would go against the law. The governor in Kogi is responsible for the security of the state and he has done well in terms of security, so how can anyone accuse him of employing thugs?

”You have seen our rally, you have seen PDP rally, you have seen and heard of many big wigs going out of PDP and joining us. That is a clear indication that they are with us and that success is with us, ”the APC chieftain boasted.

When asked if adequate security has been put in place to guarantee peaceful conduct of the election, Badaru said, ”I think that is a federal government issue.

The federal government promised to provide security and I believe this question should be directed to the security agencies, mine as a party man, I supervise the election as the governor appointed to look after the election.”