BREAKING: INEC Officials Held Hostage in Bayelsa LGA

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Bayelsa state, Yenagoa - In what could be described as a dangerous turn of events is the action meted out against officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bayelsa state.

At the moment, the INEC officials are being held hostage against their will in the Brass local government area of Bayelsa state.

Confirming the development in a statement shared on its official website and X page (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, November 12, INEC appealed to security agencies to facilitate the immediate release of the officials.

INEC tweeted thus:

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"The Unfolding Situation in Brass Local Government Area. The Commission is closely watching the situation in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State where our officials are held hostage.

"This is detrimental to credible elections. We call on the security agencies to immediately facilitate their release."

This came after the commissioners and members of the Bayelsa state House of Assembly laid siege to the INEC office, insisting that elections didn't take place at Bassambiri, Nembe.

APC calls out INEC over collation scandal in Bayelsa

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa state has called out INEC not to move the collation of results from its stronghold to Yenagoa, the state capital.

APC called out the electoral body via its official X handle on Sunday, November 12.

APC vented its frustration, prompting INEC to uphold the stipulations of the Electoral Act by allowing the collation of the results in Nembe and Southern Ijaw to continue there rather than move it to Yenagoa, where it is the stronghold of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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BREAKING: INEC adjourns collation of Bayelsa governorship election again, gives reason

INEC announces release of abducted supervisory presiding officer

Legit.ng reported earlier that the abducted Supervisory Presiding Officer, Ebehireme Blessing Ekwe, was released on Saturday, November 11.

Ekwe was kidnapped on Friday, November 10, the eve of the Bayelsa governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission disclosed this in a press release via its X page (formerly known as Twitter) @inecnigeria.

Bayelsa guber election: PDP wins first LGA with a landslide

The Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa state secured its first major victory at the local government of the state governor and governorship candidate, Douye Diri.

The ruling party in the state floored the opposition All Progressives Congress with 18,465 votes. While the APC secured 5,349 votes, the Labour Party got 22 votes.

Source: Legit.ng