Bayelsa youths vow to resist rigging

Youths from Bayelsa State under the umbrella of the Bayelsa Youths Vanguard have vowed to resist any attempt to rig the Saturday governorship election in the state.

A viral video surfaced via social media on Thursday showing violent incidents between the Peoples Democratic Party supporters and some suspected thugs in Brass Local Government.

The attacks, allegedly carried out by the unidentified assailants, left several individuals injured and further raised concerns about their potential impact on the electoral process.

Brass was one of the five key flashpoints identified for security surveillance by an election monitoring group, CellHub, in an earlier statement issued on Friday.

Reacting to the violence, President of Bayelsa Youths Vanguard, Alakiri ThankGod, in a statement on Friday condemned the attacks, saying their people are committed to ensuring a free and fair electoral process in the state.

He said, “We strongly condemn the violent attacks on innocent PDP supporters in Brass. Such actions have no place in a democratic society, and we will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the will of the people.

“We vow to resist any form of election rigging and call on law enforcement agencies to immediately apprehend those responsible for these attacks.”

The group also called on its members and prospective voters to remain calm and peaceful, emphasising the importance of conducting a violence-free election.

In a related development, the Independent National Electoral Commission has assured residents of increased security measures in Brass and other potentially volatile areas ahead of the governorship election scheduled for Saturday.

Police authorities have also issued a warning that it is working to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the recent attacks.