Resolutions of the Ijaw Elders Forum on the Bayelsa State Governorship Elections

The Ijaw elders forum and others affiliate groups in a statement entitled “Bayelsa state governorship election 2019: freeing our future” stated their position on the forthcoming Bayelsa State Governorship election.

Read below:

1. It has become compelling for all well-meaning people and stakeholders of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria to speak out, call for action and indeed act on recent unacceptable developments and disturbing patterns in the approach to the forthcoming governorship election in the State.
2. The people would ordinarily be eagerly looking forward to Saturday 16th November 2019 when they would go to the polls to elect a new Governor to steer the State for another four years. Instead, some political actors and vested interests appear to be casting clouds of great anxiety on the hopes of a patient and long suffering populace to exercise their right to freely choose their next Governor through a peaceful and credible electoral process that starts from the political party primaries holding mostly between the last week of August and the first week of September 2019.
3. The coming election is particularly important to the Bayelsa people. After twenty years of generally slow and largely uncoordinated development since 1999 across four political administrations, Bayelsans are achingly hungry for fresh leadership that will unite the State along the path of accelerated sustainable development, social cohesion and the enlightened advancement of their fundamental interests. That prospect might be dashed if the alarming signals from some prominent political gladiators are not averted.
4. Already, the political picture of the State over the last year to date is painted in violent and undemocratic colours, owing to the following vices:Brazen imposition of candidates by the ruling and opposition parties for the recent National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections, denying many aspirants a fair chance and causing state-wide political strife;Consequent violence and reckless rigging in the State in the ensuing general elections (Presidential, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly), in some cases with the alleged involvement or complicity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and some security agencies;Deaths, injuries and internal displacement of persons in some communities for political reasons;Fiery utterances by political leaders afterwards, and serial controversies surrounding the composition and independence of the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission(BYSIEC) and the alleged irregularities and wide apathy characterizing the just concluded local government (LG) elections in the State, which elections were notably boycotted by some parties.
5. Any attempt to compound this already frightening setting may inflame and throw Bayelsa State into undeserving chaos. It can grossly worsen the hunger, poverty, massive unemployment and lack of organized economy that have wracked the young State for much ofits existence. Most regrettably, the atmosphere in the State has been further charged lately by rampant reports about dangerously undemocratic manoeuvres within the ruling and opposition parties in the State that cannot be ignored by responsible citizens, government authorities, national leaderships of parties and other stakeholders concerned with preventing or reducing political disaster risks.
6. The apparent threats include reports about the looming unilateral imposition of governorship candidates to protect narrow personal interests within the major political parties, through the illicit use of public funds and patronage (local government, state and federal), overwhelming personal influence and official intimidation. These tendencies and their perpetrators are inimical to the wellbeing of the State, as they can create an explosive whirlwind.
7. Generally, the continuing culture of applying public funds and facilities for partisan political purposes is utterly condemnable. Political and electoral money laundering at the expense of our impoverishedpopulace must be brought to an end. 
8. Another cynical trend to be heavily discouraged is the emerging pattern of National Assembly members from the State who were inaugurated barely two months ago jumping immediately into the governorship race. The preliminary expenses (party nomination forms, collection and submission logistics, etc.) for many of them are apparently funded from the public purse, directly or indirectly, at the cost of N30m-N50m each. Besides the heavy drain on the public till, such conduct by about half of the State’s small 8-man contingent to the national parliament smells of desperation, vaulting ambition, greed and political defrauding of the electorate who were made to believe that the “representatives” were pursuing a legislative agenda for their constituents and were unaware of any hidden or ulterior agenda. For an underrepresented state like Bayelsa, one only of the consequences is the double jeopardy of their constituencies being effectively denied representation for at least six months. If our legislators are suddenly dissatisfied with the prestige of their legislative offices, they are welcome to resign. Where they persist in that indecent ambition, stakeholders of the concerned constituencies may feel justified to initiate constitutional processes to recall them from the National Assembly. A handful of politicians cannot continue to call an entire populace foolish.
9. In particular, regardless of political affiliation, the generality of Bayelsans are shaken by the contents of the alleged audio recording of Governor Seriake Dickson which went viral, wherein he seemed to be addressing soon to be elected Local GovernmentChairmen, Councillors and executives of the ruling party in the State. Allegedly, the Governor is heard: Instructing them to vote for a particular governorship aspirant that would be revealed to them before the party primaries; Warning them against meeting with or voting for any aspirant outside a certain RestorationTeam within the party; Directing them to fund the said RestorationTeam’s aspirant(s) from public coffers, and Receiving assurances from the State Chairman of the party and the audience of their obedience to his directives. The Governor’s media aide subsequently released a statement disclaiming the recording and asserting that it was a doctored audio material. We demand for a thorough independent investigation of this matter and for timely appropriate legal and party sanctions against either the author(s) of the audio commentary, if proven, or those found to have doctored it, if any. This is in line with the internationally recognized right of the people to proper investigations and diligent prosecution.
10. As early confirmation of our fears, a bomb blast marked the State ruling party’s conduct of ward congresses to elect delegates to the state congress for the governorship primaries. This is despite the consistent campaign for credible and peaceful elections jointly mounted by the Ijaw Elders Forum, G24 Embasara Foundation, Ijaw Professionals Association, Ijaw Women Connect, Ijaw Nation Forum and Ijaw Nation Development Group, a campaign that has involved wide-ranging stakeholder engagement, workshops and written affirmation of non-violence by numerous governorship aspirants as well as key leaders such as former President Goodluck Jonathan. We invite all relevant local and international authorities, including INEC, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate, sanction and monitor all parties and culpable elements, no matter how highly placed, as our vulnerable people start to inch towards the November polls.
11. In the interest of inclusion and peaceful leadership succession, bearing in mind the insidious divisiveness and arbitrariness taking hold in the politics of the State, and subject to the provisions of the law, we strongly urge all major political stakeholders to take cognizance of the softly evolving convention and nuances in the State that have ensured that each senatorial zone has so far produced a governor, suggesting a fresh rotation between the three zones. 
12. In light of all the foregoing, the urgency for Bayelsa State to get it right with this election and the overriding interest of the entire State over parochial personal, political and party interests, we call on all conscientious elders, political leaders and civil stakeholders to work together and where necessary quickly build progressive coalitions to avert the possible hijack of the State by imperial interests or any cabal.

We must exploit every positive innovation or political practice, including constructive bipartisan engagement and consensus building to free and uplift Bayelsa State.

Together, let us work to freely choose!
Together, let us free our future!!

CHIEF BUKAZI ETETE DENZEL
AMAGBE KENTEBE
CHAIRMAN CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
IJAW ELDERS FORUM EMBASARA FOUNDATION
GEN ALAOWEI TOUN (RTD)
EFIYE BRIBENA
CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES SECRETARY
IJAW PROFESSIONALS ASSOC IJAW ELDERS FORUM
INIRUO WILLS
ELAYE OTROFANOWEI
PRESIDENT PRESIDENT
IJAW PROF ASSOC
IJAW PROF ASSOC
(HOMELAND CHAPTER) (LAGOS CHAPTER)
CO-CONVENER, EMBASARA FOUNDATION
ROSEMARY GRAHAM-NAINGBA GEOFFREY KWALE
PRESIDENT CO-CONVENER
IJAW WOMEN CONNECT EMBASARA FOUNDATION
BEN OKORO
DR AYAKEME WHISKY
MODERATOR MEDIA TEAM LEAD
IJAW NATION FORUM EMBASARA FOUNDATION
ENGR CHARLES AMBAIOWEI
ALAERE RAINE
FORMER AG. PRESIDENT TRUSTEE
IJAW NATIONAL COUNCIL EMBASARA FOUNDATION.
©® BETTER BAYELSA MANDATE
BAYELSA DECIDES 2019.