Efforts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in
Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva to have audience with President
Muhammadu Buhari was rebuffed on Thursday, sources told Pointblanknews.com
Security operatives at the Presidential Villa, were said to have denied
Sylva access to the President who is said to be unhappy over the security
failures and loss of lives during the Bayelsa Governorship election.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that President Buhari condemned the
electoral fraud and violence that rocked the Bayelsa governorship
election.
According to a source, “Security operatives at the villa acted as a result
of the disposition of the President to the reported reign of terror,
mayhem and violence unleashed on voters during the rescheduled
governorship election in Southern Ijaw LGA.”
An impeccable source within the Presidency stated that, President Buhari
was not happy with the APC in Bayelsa State and its governorship
candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva over the reported pockets of violence
during the rescheduled election in Southern Ijaw LGA.
The President’s anger, according to an inside source is coming on the
heels of the wide-spread condemnation of the conduct of the APC members in
last weekend’s governorship election in the State, especially in Southern
Ijaw LGA, where no fewer than five persons lost their lives.
Sources said that Buhari was also not happy with Chief Sylva for deceiving
and hoodwinking the leadership of the APC at the national level of his
popularity to hand him the governorship ticket of the party, when what is
on the ground was different.
The source stated,” Mr. President is angry over the overwhelming criticism
and condemnation of the process by the international observers, who did
not mince words in describing the poll as a rape of democracy.
“Some of the observers are already seeing the APC led federal government
as incapable and lacking the capacity to conduct a free, fair and credible
election in a State as small as Bayelsa. What happened in Southern Ijaw
was totally against every acceptable global democratic norm and practice.”
On the alleged ignoble role played by some top military brass, our source
indicated that, heads may roll as the presidency has called for
investigations of the allegation leveled against these officers.
It was revealed that, the President felt highly embarrassed by the
inability of the security agencies to provide a conducive environment for
the conduct of peaceful and credible election in Bayelsa State.
Both local and international observers had widely condemned the action of
the army and other security personnel, who, according to reports, openly
aided armed thugs of the APC to hijack materials and INEC ad-hoc staff in
a desperate bid to rig the election in Southern Ijaw LGA, which led to the
cancellation of the exercise in the area.