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#Bayelsadecides: Card Reader fails Jonathan again

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The governorship election in Bayelsa got underway Saturday morning as Bayelsans trooped to the various polling units in the state to elect a new governor.

However, just as it happened during the 2015 presidential election, the card reader deployed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, failed to recognize the fingerprint of former President Goodluck Jonathan at his Otuoke polling unit.

INEC officials were said to have gone to bring another machine for him.

Also, despite assurances by the two leading candidates in the election, Governor Seriake Dickson and former Governor Timipre Sylva, violence have erupted in parts of the state.

According to reports, there were gun shots in Oporoma, the headquarter of Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayels with about four persons reportedly shot dead.

The reports say an ex-militant led others suspected to be political thugs as early as 6:00 am to open fire in the area, disrupting the distribution of election materials.

It was gathered, that JTF tried to repel the rampaging armed thugs.

There were also reports of sporadic gunshots from Brass with people calling on security agencies to deploy more of their men to the area.

A member of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Princess Ingo Iwowari was allegedly attacked and stripped of all her belongings, including cash.

The state Commissioner for Information, Esuene Kikile, also said armed thugs attacked PDP leaders and supporters in Okpoma community in Brass local government area on Friday.

“Some have machete cuts. One is in hospital, we cannot ascertain his condition yet,” Kikile said.

In the same vein, the Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa, Nathan Egba, said gunmen attacked APC governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva and three journalists, including a correspondent of the Punch newspaper, on Friday night in Odioma, Brass local government area.

Obene, the PUNCH correspondents covering the Bayelsa election, while confirming the attack by gunmen, said the journalists were rescued by soldiers.

In a related development, INEC said Saturday that its staff deployed to distribute electoral materials at Sagbama Local Government area of the state were being held hostage.

Sagbama is the home local government of incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in today’s governorship election.

INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, stated this on a live television programme, adding that they were confronted by some gunmen.

According to Osaze-Uzzi, the staff had to take refuge at the local government headquarterspm and another team was held hostage Saturday morning as they made to distribute materials, adding that security agents had been contacted to help rescue the electoral officials.

“We are asking that a gunboat be sent to the place immediately. If necessary, they will have to be evacuated and brought back to Abuja.”

However, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police overseeing the election, Argungu Hashimu, stated that the police was on top of the situation.

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