The Network of Bayelsa Professionals (NBP) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to resist the temptation of meddling into the November 11, governorship election in the State in the interest of fairness and advancement of democracy in the country.
The group in a statement released in Abuja, Sunday, and signed by its spokesman, Mr. Deinmobofa Tantua, urged President Tinubu not to undermine the tenets of democracy by using the military for a civil excercise which may lead to fatalities.
The group said its appeal for neutrality of the Presidency is coming on the heels of speculations that President Tinubu has assured the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva of total support including deployment of the military to help him win the election.
The Network of Bayelsa Professionals said if the claims are true, President Tinubu will be subverting democracy and setting the state up for chaos.
They reminded President Tinubu that the Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo elections will be the first under him and the entire world will be watching keenly to see how it will go.
“Tinubu should realize that he still has a burden hanging on his neck because of his emergence and should not double that burden but use the coming elections to begin to redeem himself.
“We therefore call on the President to be mindful of those who want to use him to disrupt the peace and stability in the State because of their desperate ambition.
“Bayelsans are not preparing for war but election. The emphasis should be ballot and not bullets. PVC and not Ak-47 rifles.
“We have lost innocent people in the past because of the role played by some security agents in the past” the NBP stated.
The group warned that the election should not be used to turn the Bayelsa State into a theatre of war.
More so, the NBP urged Tinubu to caution all the institutions responsible for the conduct of the election to allow the votes of the people to count and “not create tension and unnecessary panic before, during and after the election”.
Some members of the APC in the Bayelsa state were alleged to have been rejoicing that the President had assured their candidate, Chief Sylva that he was going to do everything to ensure he wins including using the influence of the military.
Some chieftains of the APC in the State were also reported to have made the claim in a viral video on social media after the recent meeting between Tinubu and Sylva at the Presidential villa in Abuja.
The group added that Bayelsa is enjoying a peaceful atmosphere because of Governor Douye Diri’s level of political tolerance, maturity and disposition.
Therefore, the has NBP reaffirmed that with the satisfactory performance of Diri in the last few years, Bayelsans are willing to re-elect him especially as he remains the best choice among the contestants for the exalted office.
