Bayelsa, Shell Enter Deal For Gas Supply to Generate Power

The Bayelsa State Government has closed a business deal in the hydrocarbon value chain with the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) by entering into a gas sale agreement through Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC) for the purpose of power supply to the Kolo Creek Gas Turbine, ThisDay reports.

Prepare Your Handover Notes, Dickson Tells Appointees

Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson

Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has directed his commissioners and other political appointees to prepare their handover notes in preparation for his transition to second tenure.

The directive issued after a meeting with political appointees and contained in a circular to state Commissioners and Special Advisers, directed that the handover notes should be ready by January 15.

However, investigation showed that while many of the commissioners have yet to comply with the directive, other appointees, including Senior Special Assistants, Special Advisers and new appointees were worried over their statuses as aides of the governor.

Bayelsa REC Accused Of Collecting N200 Million Bribe From Dickson

A Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Francis Asmakia Ted, has accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bayelsa State, Mr. Baritor Kpagih, of collecting a two hundred million naira (N200,000,000) bribe from the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.

In an Affidavit of Facts, Mr. Ted alleged that Governor Dickson offered Mr. Kpagih a N1 billion bribe to illegally tilt the December 5th polls in Bayelsa State in favor of Governor Dickson, stressing that the N200 million cash bribe was the initial payment.

According to the SPO, the financial inducement was the reason that Mr. Kpagih ignored the severe violence and irregularities in the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ekeremor, Nembe, and Ogbia. Instead, the REC focused on the violence in the Southern Ijaw LGA unilaterally declaring the results there as inconclusive.

Bayelsa Supplementary Election:Youth Group Calls For Removal Of REC, State Police Commissioner

On Sunday, hundreds of indigent youths from the 105 wards of the 8 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bayelsa State asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the office of the Inspector-General of Police to review its strategy for the January 9th supplementary election in Southern Ijaw and other units of the State.

According to the Ijaw Youths, under the aegis of Niger Delta Youths for Democracy, the review of strategies for the January 9th election must include the re-deployment of the duo of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Baritoh Kpagih, and the State Commissioner of Police.

According to the group, though the security and election strategies may have been adopted,such strategies will not work without the Bayelsa REC and Commissioner of Police over their alleged partisan roles in the cancelled polls in some parts of the State.

The group,in a statement signed yesterday in Yenagoa by its National Coordinator, Mike Olomu, said that the redeployment of the Bayelsa REC is based on his recent confession and allegation of attempted bribe to manipulate the cancelled election against one of the leading political party‎. Meanwhile, the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police is based on his alleged compromise by the ruling party in the state and refusal to provide proper security which led to widespread attacks against members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).