Gov. Dickson advises Sylva to concede defeat

Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has called on his main opponent in the inconclusive governorship election in the state Chief Timiprie Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to concede defeat.

Dickson, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, said this while briefing newsmen on Saturday in Abuja.

The governor also expressed confidence that he stood a chance to winning election in the remaining local government, adding that the Southern Ijaw was his stronghold.

He added that there was no APC presence in Southern Ijaw, stressing that his administration in the last three and half years had done so much in the local government.

``If we were in decent clime, my brother and friend, Timiprie Sylva and his party should have conceded defeat long ago because I am the leading candidate,’’ he said.

Dickson lauded the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a rerun in the affected area.

He alleged that what took place in Southern Ijaw was a complete abuse of electoral processes and the norms and so INEC had to cancel it on the first day.

``The inconclusive election in the affected area was an election that never took place which everybody is aware of because there was hijack of election materials.

``We should be interested in asking some people who should be explaining how they came about sensitive documents,’’ he said.

He, however, called on the Federal Government and the security agencies to create an enabling environment and create a level playing for electoral processes to succeed.

``The national security establishment must have their eyes on the ball by securing this country within and without.

``We are available to ensure that our country is safe because you cannot talk of security until every part of the country is safe,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC had fixed Jan. 9, 2016 for the rerun election for the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in consultation with all stakeholders.