13 political parties in Bayelsa State including the All Progressives Congress (APC) have declared that they would boycott the rescheduled House of As sembly elections in eight constituencies today. The APC and the 12 other political parties in a press conference yesterday in Yenagoa, said their investigations have revealed that the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) has entered a "concrete agreement" with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to undo other parties. The Chairman of APC, Chief Tiwei Oruminighe, who presided over the meeting, which had in attendance Gerebo Joseph (UDP), Abbey Daniel (APA), Helen Okoro das (ACD), Tukuwei Powede (ACPN), Bezi William (UPP) and Olomu Ebiowei (LP) Edwin Tare (DPP), King- George Lucky (CPP), Isaac Eze (MPPP), Oniekpe Prince (SDP) and Owei-tongu Woni wei (AD), noted that they have lost confidence in INEC. In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the opposition political parties accused PDP of perfecting an illegal arrangement to use the military to intimidate, harass and muzzle other candidates and genuine voters to favour the PDP candidates. They have therefore decided to boycott the elections so as to avoid blood shed, destruction and maiming, which could be provoked by the "wicked intentions" of PDP and INEC. The communiqué reads in part: “Their ploy is to hoard all the sensitive electoral ma terials, result sheets inclusive, such that after the conduct of the election with non-sensi tive materials, INEC staff, the electoral officers of the eight local government areas in the state will converge at des ignated places to enter their manufactured results into the original result sheets in favour of PDP. "The PDP intends to repeat their manipulative tenden cies as experienced in the re cently conducted state House of Assembly elections, where INEC manipulated the results in favour of the PDP candi dates. Armed military men were guarding INEC staff, the electoral officers and ad-hoc staff, while they illicitly entered fake results into the original sheets. Armed mili tary men were shooting spo radically in a deliberate bid to intimidate the electorate dur ing election. "Electoral materials, in cluding the ballot boxes and ballot papers were snatched and taken to unknown desti nation to carry out their fraud ulent practices." However, the state chapter of the Conference of Political Parties (CNPP) has distanced itself from the boycott.
