Delayed poll to take place in Bayelsa state

Voters in the oil-producing Niger Delta region go to the polls tomorrow (Saturday) for state governorship elections delayed by anti-government protests earlier this month, Reuters reported today. “Everything is prepared here, the electoral commisssion is prepared. It is very calm. It is as though there was never any trouble in Bayelsa state, “ Reuters quoted a spokesman for the military administrator as saying. At least 30 Ijaws, Nigeria’s fourth largest ethnic group, were killed by government troops sent to quell protests in Bayelsa over the New Year, Reuters said. The protestors were demanding a greater share of the region’s oil wealth and the departure of the multinational oil firms. In recent months, oil firms have been hit by a number of sabotage attacks which have adversely affected output, Reuters added. Other Nigerian states voted on 9 January in elections which were generally peaceful.