By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

YENAGOA—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bayelsa State has described as “misleading,” claims by the opposition parties in the state of alleged plot to rig the rescheduled state Assembly elections in eight constituencies of the state.

The PDP through its Publicity Secretary, Osom Makbere, said though the party considered the claims by the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, that it planned to rig the election in Kolokuma/Opokuma as misleading, the party was more disturbed that a serving aide of the President, Waripamowei Dudafa was behind the opposition’s onslaught against the party.

Makbere, in a statement, said  preliminary investigation by the PDP showed that the aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, who is a native of the area, was conniving and planning to mobilize the army and other uniformed security agencies to rig the votes in favour of APGA.

He said: “The PDP notes with dismay, the unfounded and unsubstantiated accusations levelled against Governor  Seriake Dickson, that he plans to visit the area on election day, with a view to influencing and swaying votes in favour of the PDP candidates.

“The PDP has maintained absolute decorum and orderliness in all the elections held so far in the state. All the cases of violence recorded in the previous elections were perpetrated by the opposition against the PDP.”

Describing the reports as the figment of the imaginations of APGA and the other opposition parties, who know too well that they cannot win election in a free and fair contest, because of the pedigree of the PDP in the state. He accused the opposition of planning to arm thugs to scare away voters and rig the elections in favour of their preferred candidates.

But reacting to the allegation of anti-party conduct by the PDP, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Dr. Waripamowei Dudafa, dismissed the claim as “bias” and “influenced by some destabilizing agents in the state.”

Dudafa, who spoke through one of his aides, Bebetimi Dasuo, insisted that the allegation against him bordered on blackmail by the factions of the party controlled by the state governor.