Ahead of the January 9, 2016 supplementary governorship election in Bayelsa State, militants from Delta and Rivers states are regrouping to disrupt the electoral process.
It was learnt that an ex-militant leader from Delta State (name withheld) is said to be determined to scuttle the ambition of any other political party candidate except that of the Peoples Democratic Party.
According to Punch Newspapers the ex-warlord had vowed that the opposition political party would not be allowed to take over the state of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He was said to be assembling ‘deadly’ militants to attack the state again during the rerun on January 9, 2016.
The ex-militant leader was said to be the brain behind the widespread violence that swept across the state during the December 5 and 6, 2015 inconclusive election in the state.
The ex-militant commander reportedly organised the thugs and militants that attacked the home of the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri in Ekeremor and carried out other violent attacks on members of the All Progressives Congress in Nembe and other parts of the state.
The December 5 and 6 elections were marred by violence, sporadic shootings and other irregularities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission fixed January 9, 2016 to conduct fresh poll in Southern Ijaw and 112 other units in other local government areas across the state.
But a security source confided in our correspondent that the ex-militant leader was still desperate to unleash violence on the state in favour of the PDP.
The source said, “Now he is leading the fight to stop the APC in Bayelsa not because he likes the candidate of the PDP but because he believes it is a payback time.”
When contacted, the Spokesperson for the Operation Pulo Shield formerly known as Joint Task Force, Col. Ado Isa, said the OPS was not in charge of monitoring the election.
He said the election was being supervised by a special military team codenamed Operation Safe Conduct.
But the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Butswat Asinim, said the police were ready to surmount all security challenges during the rerun poll.
He said the police would dominate the land and waterways, adding that there was no cause for alarm.
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