News Investigators/ The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor, Duoye Diri as the winner of the concluded governorship election in Bayelsa state.
Mr. Diri polled 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Timipre Sylvia of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who scored 110,108 votes, to emerged the validly elected governor for a second term.
The Labour Party candidate, Udengs Eradiri, scored 905 votes.
While announcing the winner of the election in Yenegoa, Bayelsa capital on Monday, INEC returning officer for the Bayelsa election, Farouk Kuta, said “Diri, having polled the majority votes and satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby by returned elected.”
However, the APC’s agent at the collation centre faulted the declaration of Mr. Diri on the grounds that the margin of lead was not significant enough to declare a winner.
He noted that areas where elections were cancelled had over 100,000 PVCs collected, while the margin of lead is just 65, 000.
He said the returning officer ought to declare the election inconclusive and order a rerun in the areas where elections were cancelled.
Bayelsa has 1,560,862 registered voters. Those accredited to vote were 372,000. Those number of valid votes are 291,212 votes.
