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INEC officially declares Dickson winner of Bayelsa governorship election

Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State
Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State
NEDU MARK, Yenagoa

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and incumbent Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson as winner of the just-concluded Bayelsa State Governorship election which re-yun was held Saturday in the Southern Ijaw local government council of the state.
INEC, announced, Sunday, that Dickson polled a total of 134,998 votes beating off the challenge of Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 86,852 votes to emerge victorious in what now appeares a landslide victory.
Declaring Dickson winner, INEC Collation/Chief Returning Officer, Prof Zana Akpabe said the incumbent governor polled 134,998 votes out of the total number of 232,167 votes cast to beat his closest rival from the APC and former governor Timipre Sylva.
“I Prof Zana hereby certified that I was the chief returning officer of the December 5 governorship election. Secondly, that the election was keenly contested,” Zana said, while announcing the results of the election, adding: “That Henry Seriake Dickson having certified the requirement of the law is hereby returned as the governor-elect for the 2015 governorship poll.”
Prof Akpabe said the consolidated results show that a total of 654,492 persons registered for the 2015 governorship poll while a total of 242,114 voters were accredited for the election.
A breakdown of the votes scored from the consolidated results shows that APGA secured 178 votes, CPP 60, KOWA 16 and LP 76 votes.
Prof Zana said 225,520 votes were valid during the 2015 governorship election won by Governor Dickson.
On the Southern Ijaw Supplementary Election which held, Saturday, the PDP scored a total of 23,081 votes while the All Progressives Congress (APC) pulled only 10,216 votes.
Declaring the results of the election, Sunday, the INEC Collation Officer for Southern Ijaw, Dr. Johnson Dagana said over 927 votes were rejected while a total of 39,679 votes were cancelled due to over-voting, snatching of electoral materials and non use of card reader machines in some registered areas in the locality.
According to the INEC Collation Officer for Southern Ijaw, at 17 wards in Koluoama, election was not held due to late arrival of electoral materials.
This is just as over 120 units in 14 registered areas were cancelled due to electoral frauds like over voting, snatching of materials and non use of card readers, said Dagana.
Dr. Dagana said a total of 120,827 voters were registered, while 35,594 persons were accredited but only 34,534 votes were cast in the area.
In the Southern Ijaw re-run poll, the PDP scored 29,240 votes overall in the re run elections conducted by INEC across the state while APC scored 14,258 votes in all the re run units including southern Ijaw local council.
Reacting to the results, APC party agent, Dennis Otiotio rejected the announcement from Southern Ijaw as he accused INEC adhoc staff of ’a deliberate attempt to cancel all results in the APC stronghold in the state.’
However, agent Alfred Agabadi of the PDP countered the APC agent’s argument as he blamed the party for the wanton violence witnessed in the area, stating that ‘APC does not deserve any results in the area as they propagated violence.’
“APC do not merit any vote in Southern Ijaw area as they trade on violence and maiming, killing and destruction of property in the area during and after the supplementary poll. Those are our votes. The PDP won everywhere in Bayelsa state, including the Brass area where the results were rigged. We will contest that result at the tribunal. We have our facts. Thosed areas APC claims they were rigged are also PDP territories.”

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