By Kamsi Anayo
There was widespread jubilation in Bayelsa on Monday as independent National Electoral Commission returned Gov. Douye Diri as the duly elected Governor of Bayelsa State.
The INEC Returning officer for the gubernatorial election in the state, Prof Farouk Kuta, returned Diri after a grueling exercise for scoring the highest number of lawful votes in the election
In the election last council results announced in Yenagoa on Monday, Diri polled a total of 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 115,262 votes.
He won in six of the eight local government areas of the state with Sylva clinching Brass and Nembe local government areas.
The breakdown of the results in the eight local government areas is as follows:
KOLOKUMA-OPOKUMA LGA
PDP = 18,465
APC = 5,349
OGBIA LGA
PDP = 18,435
APC = 16,319
YENAGOA LGA
PDP = 37,777
APC = 14,534
LP = 244
SAGBAMA LGA
APC = 6,608
APGA = 8
PDP = 35,504
LP = 217
NEMBE LGA
APC = 22,248
APGA = 7
PDP = 4,556
LP = 113
EKEREMOR LGA
APC = 8,445
APGA = 4
PDP = 23,172
LP = 50
BRASS LGA
APC = 18,431
PDP = 12,602
LP = 83
SOUTHERN IJAW LGA
PDP = 24,891
APC = 18,173
This brings to conclusion the results collation which started on Sunday at the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu Media Centre inside the INEC State Office in Yenagoa.