APC kicks as Diri coasts home to victory in Bayelsa

The results of the governorship election, which started on Saturday, are being collated at the INEC head office in Yenagoa by the state Collation Officer, Prof. Kuta Farouk, who is the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Diri has so far won Kolokuma-Opokuma,  Yenagoa, Ogbia, Sagbama and Ekeremor while his closest rival, Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won Nembe Local Government Area.

The collation was adjourned till 12noon on Monday to announce results from two remaining local government areas of Brass and Southern Ijaw.

INEC announced that there were issues with Brass and Southern Ijaw councils adding that collation for.some areas in Brass had been brought to Yenagoa.

The commission added that in Southern Ijaw election continued in some wards on Sunday morning insisting that the results would be ready for collation on Monday.

Diri has so far garnered 137,909 votes in the six LGAs announced to defeat Sylva, who polled 68,154 votes while Udengs Eradiri of Labour Party came a distant third with 703 votes.

But the collation centre was charged  following the protest by the APC agent, Dennis Otiotio, who complained that 27,968 votes scored by APC in Nembe were cancelled by the local government area collation officers.

He said acting on the directive of the REC, the LGA officer cancelled results collated in four wards of Nembe.

Otiotio insisted that the officer acted illegally as he had no right to cancel results already collated at the units and wards of any local council already posted to the I-REV.

He complained that the collation of results of all LGAs won by APC were forcefully moved to the INEC office in Yenagoa while areas won by the PDP were collated at the ward levels.

Otiotio held to his grounds that the disposition of the state collation Officer suggested that he did not want the APC agent at the collation centre.

But Prof. Farouk took exception to the comments and clarified that he only wanted all agents to document their complaints officially insisting that the centre had no power to resolve their issues.

The agent of the PDP, Chief Talford Ongolo, countered Otiotio saying the REC had the power to cancel collated results in areas marred by violence, bypass of the BVAs and abduction of INEC officials.

Tension had built up around the head office of INEC immediately the commission concluded preparation to begin collation of results.

Supporters, loyalists and members of the PDP  stormed the area in their numbers to protest results from some local government areas where they claimed there was no election.

The protesters blocked  the Swali Road leading to INEC office to stop the commission from accepting the results of Nembe Bassambiri, which they claimed were manipulated.

Bayelsa Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Dambo Biriyai, (SAN), alleged that election did not take place in Nembe Bassambiri.

He called on INEC REC in the state, Mr Obo Effanga, and Southsouth Commissioner for INEC May Agbamuche-Mbu to reject the results.

He claimed that PDP members, who visited their country home of Bassambiri, were prevented entry by the combined team of the police and APC thugs.

The development led to massive deployment of armed security operatives around the INEC office.