TELL Magazine

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has retained the governorship seat in Bayelsa State, after failing to upstage APC in Imo and Kogi States. Incumbent governor, Douye Diri, was formally declared winner of the keenly contested election having won majority of the votes cast.

Results from the eight local government areas of the state announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC showed that the PDP scored 175,196 be votes; while APC followed closely with 110,108, a margin of 65,088 votes. The Labour Party came a distant third with 905 votes. The results were announced by the Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Farouk Adamu Kuta.

Kuta said out of 1,056, 862 registered voters, 372,000 were accredited to vote while total votes cast were 291, 212, and total valid votes, 287, 554. He said 3, 658 votes were rejected.

The breakdown shows that Governor Duoye Diri won in six local government areas, while Timipre Sylva, immediate past minister of state for petroleum, and former governor of the state, won in two local government areas.

Details are as follows:

1.Yenagoa LGA

PDP – 37,777 votes

APC – 14,534 votes

2. Ogbia LGA

PDP – 18, 435 votes

APC – 16, 319 votes

3. Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA

PDP – 18, 465 votes

APC – 5, 349 votes

4. Sagbama

PDP – 35,504

APC – 6608

5. Nembe

PDP – 4556

APC – 22,248

6. Ekeremor

PDP – 23,172

APC – 8445

7. Brass

PDP – 12,602

APC – 18,431

8. Southern Ijaw

APC – 18,174

PDP – 24,685

Total Scores:

PDP – 175,196

APC – 110,108

Margin of Lead – 65,088

The election was not without incidents. In Brass Local Government Area, a PDP member was allegedly shot dead by an APC thug. The Ijaw Youth Congress, IYC, has called on the government to speedily arrest those involved in the murder.

In Nembe, an APC thug who identified himself as Jonah Daumie, and who claimed to be a special adviser on media and public affairs to the APC deputy governorship candidate, Joshua Maciver, was arrested with live bullets, and paraded naked by a security team. Maciver had been under fire for inciting violence at the just concluded election.

In a viral video on social media, Maciver, who spoke at a campaign rally in the evening of Sunday, October 29 in Twon Brass community of the state, urged voters to “show them” (opponents).

He had told the gathering in pidgin English: “Let’s be prepared on the 11th; don’t joke with anybody. If anybody misbehaves in Twon Brass, chase am enter the sea make him die. Una dey hear? Chase am make him die. After all, he won’t be the first person to die, so let’s prepare and let’s show them that this time around, when we take it, we are taking it (governorship) for final. No court movement.”

And this afternoon, the final collation had to be adjourned for one by hour when it resumed at 12 noon because of fighting between two party agents.

Earlier, 26, 000 votes were cancelled in Nembe by INEC due to alleged sharp practices. According to the Returning Officer, voting materials for those polling stations were hijacked by thugs, rendering them null and void.

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