Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has assured the international community of his administration’s resolve to ensure the December 5 governorship election in the state is peaceful.
The governor, who is seeking a second term on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gave the assurance on Thursday when the US Consul-General in Nigeria, John Bray, visited him to discuss issues bordering on the poll.
Dickson said as part of his preparations for the election, he was on a campaign and sensitisation tour of communities across the state.
He said the tour availed him the opportunity to educate the people on the essence of a violence-free election, describing himself as an advocate of free, fair and credible polls.
Dickson also accused the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, of boasting to use federal might and other various agencies of government to rig the poll.
He further claimed that the opposition was using intimidation and threats of violence to scare the electorates from participating in the process to choose their leader.
Dickson, however, warned anti-democratic forces against destabilising the state, stressing that, Bayelsans would resist any attempt to sabotage the forthcoming poll.
He called on security forces to take appropriate action against persons involved in any form of anti-democratic ctivities during the period.
He said: “My duty is to sensitise the people on their rights and I have been going round to sensitise the people, not to be involved in violence, not to be intimidated, turnout en masse and vote massively for the PDP, because we are a peaceful party as against the opposition that is known for violence.
“Our government is known for stability, peaceful co-existence, the protection of the democratic rights of the citizens, observance of the rule of law, a record of performance, belief in the principles of free, fair and credible election which the opposition is not known for”.
Earlier, Bray said he came to inform Gov. Dickson of the US plans to send an observer mission to monitor the poll.
The consul-general also said he was in the Government House to share ideas with Dickson on how to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
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