Diri secure re-election, defeats Sylva
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri was yesterday declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Diri, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 110,108 votes.
Diri and Sylva were trailed by the standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP), Udengs Eradiri, who garnered 905 votes.
The APC, which disputed the results, declined to sign the result sheets. Some observers and seven of the parties that fielded candidates in the off-cycle election also rejected the results.
Otiotio said INEC didn’t follow the electoral procedures. Our over 55,000 votes scored by APC were cancelled in Southern Ijaw while 29,000 votes were equally cancelled and when added amount to over 80,000 votes that were cancelled. Clearly APC won election. We will contest election result being declared by INEC, after consulting our legal team.
There was chaos at the Bayelsa State INEC Collation Centre in Yenagoa when the results from Brass Local Government Area were being announced.
The rage caused a shouting match that resulted in physical attack on the State Otiotio by Victor Werinipre, who was identified as Accord party agent.
Trouble started when Werinipre reacted to the results from Brass made a blanket statement that the APC deputy governorship candidate, Joshua MacIver, called for violence during the campaign.
There was massive cancellation in the areas but that other political parties won, while where PDP won, votes were allowed to stand, we reject the result announced by INEC.
