Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign council has called on the Inspector General of Police and Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately invite a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Joshua MacIver for questioning.
Chairman of the campaign council’s Publicity Directorate, Ayibaina Duba, in a statement issued in Yenagoa, yesterday said MacIver made inciting comments capable of truncating the peace of the state in a video now in circulation.
MacIver, who is running mate to the party’s governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva, in a viral video online had told supporters to chase into the sea to die anyone found wanting on election day at Twon-Brass, Brass Local Government area of the state.
In the video that has now gone viral on social media, the former militant leader urged the people to “throw into the sea anyone that misbehaves on November 11 and ensure the person dies.”
But in reaction, the PDP campaign council strongly condemned MacIver’s ‘thoughtless’ comment, saying it had the potential of throwing the state into anarchy before and during the November 11 governorship election.
The PDP noted that the APC leader was notorious for instigating political violence and that his comments only confirmed what the people of Bayelsa generally knew about the party’s plot to cause violence during the election.
The ruling party recalled how the quasi-security outfit, Operation Famoutangbe, created when Chief Timipre Sylva was governor, in Gestapo-like manner allegedly visited mayhem on hapless people and political opponents in the state.
It wondered if MacIver and his party were having a dress rehearsal to again visit Famoutangbe on people of the state.
The PDP said under Governor Douye Diri, peace has been fully restored in Bayelsa and the people now sleep with their eyes closed.
It said that because the opposition has nothing good to offer the state, it continued to incite violence with MacIver’s recent comments being the height of the party’s desperation to seize power at all costs.
PDP restated its call on the security agencies to ensure the governorship poll was peaceful and devoid of interference.
It said the security agencies should perform their professional and non-partisan roles in elections and ensure anyone that breached the electoral process is brought to book.
It also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be transparent and ensure that the November poll is free, fair and credible. “Election is about the ballot and not the bullets,” the PDP noted.
