A coalition of various non-governmental organizations and civil society groups in Bayelsa State, on Wednesday, staged a peaceful protest over the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in some parts of the state.

The protesting group

NNSL pensioners fault PTAD on N3bn arrears

Comrade Toitoi Newton of the Grassroots For Development, who led the protest to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s office in Yenagoa, told journalists that the CSOs demand a cancellation of the purported results from Constituency 4 in Southern Ijaw council and Nembe-Bassambiri in Nembe council where election materials were carted away.

According to Comrade Newton, elections did not hold in the seven wards of Nembe-Bassambiri due to the violence orchestrated by political thugs and, according to him, aided by security personnel deployed in the community.

He said the people were disenfranchised as they were chased away from their communities on the day of the election.

Comrade Stephen Seleke of the Advocacy for Peace also said that anything contrary to the guidelines of the election would not be acceptable to them.

He said the body was not interested in promoting any particular political party in the country but that the protest was to register their grievances over the conduct of last Saturday’s elections in the state.

Mr. Seleke noted that the entire state and indeed the Niger Delta region was militarised to undermine, frustrate and intimidate voters from exercising their civic responsibilities.

He called for outright rejection of results from the areas marred by electoral violence.

Other  non-governmental bodies under the aegis of Young Nigerians in Politics, Transformed Ladies of Bayelsa and Onward Restoration Movement were also part of the protest.