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  • Jonathan’s kinsman, Agadaga joins Bayelsa governorship race

    Jonathan’s kinsman, Agadaga joins Bayelsa governorship race

    Chief Benson Agadaga, an associate and kinsman of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has declared interest to contest the Bayelsa governorship election slated for Nov. 16.

    Agadaga, National Chairman, Ogbia Brotherhood Worldwide, a socio-cultural group, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Yenagoa, that he would bring development to the people if elected.

    According to him, his aspiration is borne out of his desire to continue to serve the people of Bayelsa at the highest level having served as Commissioner for Information.

    Agadaga is the current Special Adviser on Establishment to Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson.

    “I seize this opportunity to seek the support and blessings of the foremost socio-cultural organisation of the people of Ogbia kingdom and entire people of Bayelsa to contest in the gubernatorial election.

    “This is in furtherance of my passion for public service in many capacities and this time, I seek the office of the governor and I appeal to the people to support my ambition,” he said.

    Reacting to the development, King George Lawson, an Ogbia monarch said he was excited over Agadaga’s intention to contest as governor.

    “We, the Ogbia people are satisfied with his leadership of Ogbia Brotherhood.

    “Considering his antecedents and impressive performance in all the offices he served in the state, Bayelsa people will be full of joy to give him the mandate to serve as governor,” he stated.

  • Bayelsa poll: I’ll hand over to another PDP governor – Dickson boasts

    Bayelsa poll: I’ll hand over to another PDP governor – Dickson boasts

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Wednesday boasted that he would hand over to another Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the November governorship election.

    The governor said with the support of leaders of the state he would lead the PDP to victory at the coming poll.

    Dickson spoke at PDP stakeholders meeting in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    A statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei quoted the governor as advising the PDP governorship aspirants to play opposition politics rather than scheming and causing divisions in their own party.

    Dickson reminded the people that, the last election showed how the Federal Government deployed its might to undermine the security of the state in favour of their party members.

    He urged the PDP aspirants seeking elective positions in the forthcoming local government council and governorship poll to embark on massive mobilization of people across the communities to achieve victory for the party.

    According to the governor, the PDP aspirants had a better platform to contest elections and should campaign on the strength of the party’s landmark achievements in the state.

    The government stressed that the PDP was the only political party with the popularity and strength to win free, fair and credible election in Bayelsa State.

    The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum cautioned that the Guber election in Bayelsa would be a class of two systems, the PDP and its massive supporters in the various constituencies and communities and the APC, backed by Federal forces to attempt to wrest political control.

    He urged the people to resist any attempt by cultists as political to return to power in Bayelsa to retard the process of growth in the state.

    He said: “Another PDP Gov will be elected in the next election. urge all the people to step into the communities and mobilize the people. It will be my pleasure to lead the PDP with your support so that another PDP governor will be elected.

    “How we survived during the 2015 governorship election is by the grace of God and our mobilization skills. You now have people who know how to play opposition politics. As we begin the transition programme, we expect you to put on the toga of an opposition person.

    “You have a lot of work to do. It is their work to sow seeds of discord but it’s your job to keep your party united, strong and stable.”

  • LG poll: Bayelsa Electoral Commission chair resigns, alleges threats to life

    LG poll: Bayelsa Electoral Commission chair resigns, alleges threats to life

    …as Governor Dickson accepts resignation

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has accepted the resignation of the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) Dr. Perekeme Bertola ahead of the August 10, 2019 local government election in the state.

    Bertola on Saturday resigned his appointment citing threat to his life and family by opposition political parties and thanked Dickson for the opportunity to serve the state.

    The governor in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, also commended Bertola for his services to the commission and for setting in motion the conduct of the election.

    He said regardless of the development, the council election would still go on, as the other members of the commission were in quorum to carry on with the business of conducting a hitch-free council poll.

    The statement noted that the most senior member of the commission would take charge in acting capacity, pending the appointment of a substantive chairman.

    The statement expressed shock that members of the opposition would harass, intimidate and threaten Bertola and his family all in their desire for him to do their bidding during the council election.

    While wishing Bertola success in his future endeavours, the statement called on Bayelsans to be aware of the subterranean moves by members of the opposition to scuttle the planned council election using different crude means but said they would fail in their mission.

    Following the development, the Bayelsa State House of Assembly led by Speaker Koombowei Benson summoned an emergency sitting of its members.

    It was gathered that the lawmakers approved the nomination of Ball Oyerede as the new Chairman of BYSIEC and Emmanuel Charles as a member of the commission.

    But the Bayelsa State Chairman òf the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Moses Cleopas, called on the state government to ensure the conduct of the local government elections despite threats by the opposition in the state.

    Cleopas said in a statement that no amount of threats should be allowed to truncate the planned conduct of the local government poll and urged security agencies to investigate the development.

    Cleopas said the party’s investigation showed that Perekeme was threatened by opposition political parties to pull out of the planned conduct of the local government elections.

    He stressed that some disgruntled elements in Bayelsa opposition who lacked the capacity to win free, fair and credible elections were behind the nefarious plot to prevent the conduct of the local government polls in the state.

    The PDP chairman called on the police and other security agencies to ensure immediate investigation of the threats to the lives of the SIEC boss and his family members by the opposition with a view to bringing the culprits to book.

    He said: “It has come to the attention of the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party in Bayelsa State that the Chairman òf the State Indepedent Electoral Commission, Dr. Bertola Perekeme, has resigned from his position.

    “Investigations our party conducted into this sudden development revealed shockingly that Dr. Perekeme and members of his family were threatened by members of the opposition political parties who lack the capacity to win any free and fair electoral contest in Bayelsa.

    “It is on this note that we call on the Government to proceed with planned local government polls designed to bring in Bayelsa’s next party chairmen and Councillors. It would be sad to accede to the criminal intent of these characters.

    “We hereby call on the police and other security agencies to investigate this audacity being exhibited by criminals masquerading as politicians with a view to arresting them for prompt prosecution.

    “As a party, we are preparing for the election with the intent to win. Only the unpopular and those with evil intent would be against the conduct of free and fair polls at the local government level in the state.”

  • JUST IN: Dickson rejects life pension bill for Bayelsa lawmakers

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has withdrawn his assent on controversial bill passed by state House of Assembly seeking life pension for lawmakers.

    Commissioner for Information, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, quoted Dickson as conveying the decision to decline assent to the bill in a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly, Kombowei Benson, on Monday.

    The governor was said to have held consultations with the Assembly members in his country home of Toru-Orua, where he explained his reason for declining assent.

    Iworiso-Markson quoted the governor as saying that the bill was inconsistent with Section 124 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

    Dickson argued that the State Assembly lacked the powers to expand the categories of public servants who should be entitled to pension.

    He said the state was bedeviled with a lot of challenges following low internally generated revenue base and unstable earnings from the oil economy.

    He added that if allowed to become law, Bayelsa would be the only state out of Nigeria’s 36 states to come up with such legislation.

    The governor said that he was guided in the decision by the principle that government should not be for a select class of the privileged in the society, and would not discard it over seven years into his administration.

    He said the lawmakers and indeed the Nigerian populace would attest to the fact that all decisions of his administration were guided by the strong urge to protect the public interest and promote the general good.

    He said: “The provisions of this Bill granting pension to members of Bayelsa State House òf Assembly and the extension of same to former members of the Assembly and Bayelsa indigenes who served in the Old Rivers State House of Assembly, is inconsistent with Section 124 of the Constitution òf the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

    “I am not convinced about the legality of this Billl which seeks to expand the categories of persons entitled to pension.

    “While I agree that the Assembly can adjust the quantum of pension payable to persons entitled to pension, I am not convinced that the House has powers to add to the categories of pensionable public officers.

    “Evidently, there is no record of any other state in this country that has expanded the categories of pensionable public officers to include lawmakers.

    “I do not agree that Bayelsa which is coping with all the myriads of issues and challenges, with our low Internally Generated Revenue base and the unpredictable oil economy, should be the first to initiate this.

    “Honourable members of this Assembly, Bayelsans and other Nigerians following our progress as a government would clearly attest to the fact that my entire public service, actions and decisions are marked by what is in the public interest, particularly the interest of the vulnerable, ordinary people.

    “It is in the service of this category of people that in the last seven years and counting, I have in an unprecedented manner which only history will record and reward, extended the frontiers of the benefits of purposeful democratic governance.

    “It is my philosophy that government should not be for a select few. In the last seven years, my actions and decisions which have sometimes elicited opposition from the elite who have been feeding fat on the resources of our State, have been marked by this singular disposition of mine.

    “And I do not intend at this point to abandon that. Rather I intend to do more and to consolidate on the policies and actions which have been taken to protect the vulnerable.

    “Therefore, I am unable to assent to this bill which in my view aims to expand and consolidate the class interest of a privileged few.”

     

  • APC kicks against life pension for Bayelsa lawmakers

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State has kicked against a bill passed by the House of Assembly awarding life pensions to lawmakers.

    The party described the bill as unjust, ungodly and self-serving, saying it had set the public pulse racing.

    Publicity Secretary Doifie Buokoribo said it was unsympathetic for the lawmakers to seek to enhance their own lives at the expense of the people living in pain and penury.

    Buokoribo described the life pension bill as an unspeakable crime against our people. According to him, the party was making efforts to enthrone a regime of better life for the people of Bayelsa.

    He said: “We say this latest move by the House of Assembly is avaricious, wicked, and insensitive. By proposing such a law, the lawmakers have merely portrayed themselves as a people who feel no concern for the feelings of their suffering constituents.

    “They have once again confirmed that they are in cahoots with the executive in the serial impoverishment of the people of Bayelsa State.

    “APC advises the legislature to withdraw the obnoxious pension bill and avoid the appalling crime against the people.

    “If the legislature refuses to heed this solemn advice, we appeal to Governor Seriake Dickson, if he is still in touch with his essential humanity, to refuse to assent to the bill when it is transmitted to him.

    “Failing this, the party calls on the people to embark on a campaign of peaceful resistance against the rogue assembly and the poverty regime of Governor Dickson.”

  • Lover shoots girlfriend dead in Bayelsa

    A male lover, Munado Tomworio, has allegedly shot his girlfriend, Victoria Ekalamene, dead in Bayelsa State, South-South Nigeria over infidelity.

    The incident occurred at Oluasiri, in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.

    It was gathered that the 28 years old lover shot his girlfriend in the face, killing her on the spot after accusing her of infidelity.

    Tomworio reportedly held the deceased at gunpoint while querying her about an unknown man and suddenly the gun went off and shattered the girl’s face.

    The incident, which occurred at about 11pm on Sunday unsettled Oluasiri community. Residents were said to have rushed to the scene of the disaster, overpowered and apprehended the culprit.

    Sources said he was immediately handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

    An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, wondered why a man would kill a girl he had not paid her bride price on suspicion of cheating.

    “We live in a society that you don’t trust anybody including your own shadow. This young guy was a well-known respectful and jovial friend to all and sundry but proved himself to be a heartless evil doer.

    “He raised his gun and shot this innocent lady called his girlfriend at Oluasiri Nembe, not any part of her body but her precious face.

    “As a son of the community, he lives in Okipiri, Nembe. The offence is on suspicion of cheating; a lady whom you have not even paid the bride price?

    “What a condemnable act and demonic wickedness? Brother, we don’t believe that you have such a wicked heart. You disappointed many. You must face the law,” he said.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat confirmed the incident to The Nation, saying the suspect was being detained at the command headquarters in Yenagoa.

    Butswat said: “On 14/04/2019 at about 2245 hrs one Munabo Tonworio ‘m’ 28 years shot dead his lover one Victoria Ekalamene ‘f’ after a quarrel at the residence of the deceased in Oluasiri, Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    “The murderer’s weapon, a locally made gun and expanded AA ammunition were recovered from the scene. The suspect has been arrested and is being detained at the SCIID, Yenagoa. Investigation is ongoing.”

     

  • Again, DSS arrest Journalist Abiri in Bayelsa

    Again, DSS arrest Journalist Abiri in Bayelsa

    Four armed men suspected to be operatives of Directorate of Security Services (DSS) on Saturday whisked away a journalist, Jones Abiri, to an disclosed location.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abiri, the publisher of Weekly Source Newspaper, who was incaserated for two years on charges of terrorism in the past, was whisked away at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

    According to eyewitnesses, Abiri was in company of some colleagues at his office at Azikoro junction of Yenagoa when the armed men arrived at the scene in a white Hilux Van and black Prado Jeep and forcibly dragged and pushed their victim into one of the vehicles and drove off.

    Austin Bodo, a journalist who witnessed the incident, said “we were sitting outside his office when a black Prado jeep and white Hilux drove into the premises in commando style.

    “As they packed, two men carrying the type of guns used by DSS operatives, jumped out of one of the cars and said Abiri was under arrest and immediately started dragging him and forced him into one of the cars and drove off.”

    Another witness, Mr. Bankole Abdulazeez, said “we were discussing national issues when the cars drove in.

    “Two armed men came out of the cars and without identifying themselves, they said you are under arrest and started dragging him.

    “They threatened to shoot anybody that tries to stop them.

    “I heard him shouting ‘what have I done again? what have I done again?’ Before they finally dragged him into one of the cars and drove off,” he said.

    When contacted, a DSS Official, who preferred anonymity, said: “I only heard of it from a journalist friend; I don’t think it is our men from here.”

  • INEC suspends supplementary poll in Bayelsa constituency

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has put on hold, the supplementary elections in Brass Constituency 1 following a court order to include omitted units in the area.

    The Federal High Court in Yenagoa had on Friday, ordered the Electoral Commission to include omitted polling units in the supplementary elections in the constituency.

    In a statement on Saturday, Mr Monday Udoh, the Bayelsa REC, announced that out of the three constituencies earlier scheduled for the polls, election was now holding in two, including Southern-Ijaw IV and Ogbia 11.

    “INEC wishes to inform the good people of Bayelsa that the supplementary polls to conclude results in three constituencies namely: Brass 1, Ogbia 11, and Souther-Ijaw IV, is holding on March 23 with the exception of Brass 1.

    “The conduct of supplementary in Brass 1, ward 6 polling units 11-16 has been put on hold by an interlocutory order of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa in suit No: FHC/YNG/CS/41/2019 and dated march 22.

    “The supplementary elections in the other two constituencies are holding as scheduled. We wish to inform that necessary arrangements are already in place for a hitch free exercise in those two constituencies.

    “As law abiding agency, the commission will inform the stakeholders as soon as the court order is dispensed with on Brass constituency 1,” the REC explained.

  • Daredevil cultists invade corps members’ residence in Bayelsa, kill two

    Daredevil cultists invade corps members’ residence in Bayelsa, kill two

    There was outrage in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Thursday following gruesome murder of corps members by cultists during one of their robbery operations.

    It was gathered the cult members, in what has become a regular occurrence in the capital city, stormed the corps members’ residence along the School Road in Swali and shot three of them.

    While two of the victims were said to have been confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa, the third one was said to be lying critically injured and receiving treatment at the hospital.

    Cult groups have overrun Yenagoa killing and robbing residents at will under circumstances that seem to have overwhelmed the police and other security agencies.

    Residents lampooned the police and other security outfits for their inability to tame rampaging gunmen, who shoot victims at slightest provocation and rob them of their smart phones, cash, laptops and other valuables.

    They wondered how a small town like Yenagoa with headquarters of the 16th Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Mobility Command of the Airforce, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (ODS), the police, the DSS and other security outfits could be overrun by cult members.

    The attacked corps members were identified as 30-year-old Popoola Oluwatobi Olamide, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and an indigene of Oyo State; George Onokpoma and Gbenga Dada.

    Popoola was reportedly shot dead at the spot, Onokpoma died at the FMC while Gbenga was said to be receiving treatment for gunshot wounds at the medical centre.

    The room where the corps members were attacked was riddled with bullets and the floor had thick blood stains of the victims signifying the horror that led to their death.

    Narrating how the incident occurred, a resident of the area, who spoke in confidence, said the hoodlums were about seven during the attack that occurred at about 9pm.

    He said: “We heard gunshots from the direction of the corps members’ room.

    ‘’One of the attacked corps members was heard screaming repeatedly and asking what was their crime. Another gunshot sounded and there was silence”.

    Another neighbour also said that the victims, who were discharging their primary responsibilities at a private school, the Victory Group of Schools, close to their residence, were awake marking examination scripts of their students, when the gunmen barricaded the building.

    “We are saddened by this incident. The deceased corps members were quiet and easy-going individuals.

    ‘’They hardly kept late night. They were always sitting at their doorpost whenever there was power outage,” he said.

  • Gunmen kill two policemen, injure one in Bayelsa

    Gunmen kill two policemen, injure one in Bayelsa

    Unidentified gunmen at the weekend killed two policemen and injured another in separate incidents that occurred in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

    It was gathered that the gunmen in one of the incidents attacked a policeman attached to a popular supermarket in Amarata area of the capital city.

    They were said to have killed the lone policeman, snatched his AK47 riffle and robbed the supermarket.

    The activities of the hoodlums created panic in the area and forced many people to run to different places for safety.

    The supermarket, which was robbed twice, last year, could not open for business on Saturday after the incident.

    In the second incident, gummen stormed the Udeme Hotels along D. S. P Alamesiagha road in Yenagoa, attacked two of the policemen guarding the facility.

    They reportedly killed one of the policemen and injured another as they tried in vain to steal police riffles.

    It was gathered that the injured policeman engaged the gunmen at gun duel and stopped them from stealing the riffles.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said that the gunmen drove a Toyota Camry car into the hotel premises and pretended to be customers.

    “They later made a U-turn and drove towards the gate where they opened fire on the policemen”, the source said.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat, confirmed the development saying it occurred at 9pm on Friday.

    He said: “On 15 March, 2019, at about 2100hours, unknown gunmen operating in a Toyota Camry car, registration number unknown, went to a Hotel at Opolo, Yenagoa and without provocation open fire at the two Policemen on duty.

    “The policemen fired back at the Armed robbers and in the ensuing gun battle, one sergeant was fatally wounded, he was rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, where he was later confirmed dead. The other Policeman is responding to treatment.

    “The unknown gunmen escaped with bullets wounds. Based on a tip-off a notorious criminal hideout was raided, where their cohorts were arrested and they have volunteered useful information. Efforts have been intensified to arrest the gunmen.”