“INEC decision to expunge APC from Bayelsa Bye-election Is is a deliberate measure to set confusion”

The APC Campaign Organization for the Bayelsa West Senatorial bye-elections has taken exception of the ill-considered decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to unilaterally exclude the party from the list of contestants in the forthcoming bye-elections, stating that such an action was Politically motivated.

In a swift reaction by the Director General of the campaign organization, Hon. Ofoni Williams, the group alleged that the action of the supposedly unbiased umpire is a clear indication that the election management body has flagrantly abused the due process as they openly announced the exclusion of the party from the said election when they know that the Federal High Court in Yenagoa is not the final arbiter.

The group indicated that the decision of INEC to expunge the party from the said election is a deliberate measure to set confusion on the minds of the teaming supporters of the party as they refused to allow the party to exhaust all legal opportunities available to them.

The APC Campaign Organization noted that the action of the election management body is not only sound morally in view of its adverse consequences it impinges on the electorates, but also wrong legally as they went beyond the threshold of sanity to flagrantly violate the provisions of the law in order to discourage the enthusiastic supporters of the party.

From the hasty decision of INEC, the campaign organization alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission is no longer neutral in its activities as they have joined hands with the PDP to win elective offices through unethical means due to the level of general misrule by the party, occasioned largely by the formulation of agonizing policies in the state.

According to Hon. Ofoni Williams, the action of INEC has given a clearer insight into the reason for the endless loans obtained in recent times by the PDP-led government, as they have conspicuously indicated themselves as one of the beneficiaries.

It could be recalled that the Federal High Court in Yenagoa recently delivered an ill-fated judgement against the candidate of the APC in the aforementioned election for alleged certificate forgery and other insignificant issues brought before it by persons who did not suffer any injury in the ongoing election. In a swift response, the APC described the judgement as part of plans by the PDP to eschew open defeat as they are incapable of making any significant impact in a free and fair electoral contest.

Nonetheless, in line with the tradition of the judicial system, the APC had filed an appeal at the Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeals and had also filed a motion for a stay of execution, waiting patiently for a date for hearing.

However, the APC Campaign Organization for the Bayelsa West Senatorial bye-elections has called on all the members of the party to remain calm as there is no course for alarm following the inconsequential attempts by INEC to preclude the party from winning the forthcoming bye-elections. The campaign organization restated its commitment to provide quality representation in the Senate giving the fact of the legislative prowess and ingenuity of the candidate of the party. The group, therefore, has enjoined all party faithfuls and the general public to vote for the candidate of the party, Rt. Hon. Peremobowei Ebebi on the day of the election.

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