Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Friday said that the
interest of the international community on Nigeria’s electoral process was
legitimate and justified.
Dickson who spoke in a radio broadcast monitored in
Yenagoa said that Nigeria was part of the comity of nations and had played
significant roles in the affairs of other nations in promoting democracy.
He said that foreign countries have a role as observers
in the peer review role in the workings of the electoral system to ensure that
elections were free and fair provided the foreign observers were not partisan.
“There are concerns for safety of voters as well as foreign
observers and my view is that we are part and parcel of the international
community and the interest of foreign countries in our elections is in order.
“It is however subject to their maintaining neutrality
and they are not partisan but actually of more strategic importance is the
safety of our voters, for us in Bayelsa, there is a history of electoral
violence from 1999 till date.
“The frequent deployment of Police Commissioners is a
cause for concern, we have had 10 Commissioners of Police posted here to
Bayelsa at the behest of some
politicians,” Dickson said.
Dickson also denied allegations by leader of All
Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, Former Governor Timipre Sylva that the
state government was colluding with Police to deny other parties of Security.
“It is not true, they are the ones doing that because APC
is at the control at the federal level, they are merely saying so to divert
attention,” he said
It will be recalled that Sylva had on Monday led APC members
on a protest to Police Headquarters over the killing of a party faithful during
a rally in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
On the delays in the inauguration of the N90 billion
International Cargo Airport recently completed by his administration, Dickson
explained that the airport was awaiting regulatory approvals and certification
from aviation authourities.
“From reports available, we shall soon be through with
regulatory approvals and hopefully I will be able to take the inaugural flight
for the first plane to land at the airport by the end of this February,”
Dickson said.
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