Voter Apathy Mars Bayelsa Re-run Poll

The re-run election in Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor Local Government Councils of Bayelsa State was, yesterday, marred by voter apathy and boycott by political parties and their candidates, amid alleged intimidation by armed men.

While some candidates of opposition parties decided to boycott the exercise over what they described as improper arrangement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), most of the voters failed to turn up.
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The low turnout in most units in Southern Ijaw was attributed to the decision of Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate, Victor-Ben Tedieie, to boycott the exercise, and lack of proper voters sensitization. Threat of violence was blamed for the low turn in Ekeremor.

In most of the polling units visited, there were no polling agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD), even as some supporters of the candidate of the APC, Hon. Ebifagh Orunimighe, alleged that voters were being intimidated by armed men and security personnel in favour of the PDP candidate, Kombowei Benson.