Bayelsa Poll: Gov. Dickson laments malfunctioning of card readers, seeks probe of election violence

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has expressed dissatisfaction with the malfunctioning of card reader machines, which he said resulted in unnecessary waste of time and long queues at polling units.
He also demanded investigation into the outbreak of violence in some parts of the state, including Oporoama, headquarters of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area where at least one person was killed.
Speaking in his home town after he was accredited to vote, the governor, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the election, alleged that the security agencies knew the culprits and should bring them to book.
He said the security personnel looked away while criminals unleashed violence on the people.
Mr. Dickson said he was convinced that the federal-controlled security agencies did not create a conducive environment for voting to take place.
Mr. Dickson accused the rival All Progressives Congress of instigating the violence.
“I and my party have said time and times again while campaigning that the other side was preparing not for an election but for war,” he said.
“They armed their thugs and in some cases protected by the police and security. The security agencies have all time to investigate and prevent what is currently going on. We are taking stock of all of this and we hope and expect that appropriate legal steps are taken against these notorious criminals who are unleashing terrible mayhem and violence on our fellow citizens, all in the name of politics.
“Everyone knows who they are; the security agencies know who they are. The security agencies are right there when these things are going on. We went to commend Bayelsans for their determination to come out to vote.”