Bayelsa Governor and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Douye Diri, has won five out of the six local government areas’ results so far declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The results of the governorship election, which started on Saturday, are being collated at the INEC head office in Yenagoa by the 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 6pm to announce results from two remaining local government areas of Brass and Southern Ijaw.
Diri has so far garnered 137,909 votes in the six LGAs announced while Sylva polled 68,154 votes with Udengs Eradiri of Labour Party getting only 703 votes.
But the collation centre almost became rowdy 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.
He complained that the collation of results of all LGAs won by APC was 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 comment 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.
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Below is the summary of all the six LGA results so far collated:
Kolokuma-Opokuma LGA
APC 5349
PDP 18,465
LP 22
2. Ogbia LGA, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Local Government Area
Registered 119,571
Accredited 36,955
PDP wins with small margin
APC 16,319
PDP 18435
LP 57
Yenagoa LGA
Registered: 218,394
Accredited: 54,380
APC 14,534
PDP 37,777
LP 244
Valid votes: 53,052
Rejected: 1018
Vote cast: 54070
Sagbama LGA
Registered: 138,832
Accredited : 42879
APC: 6, 608
PDP: 35,504
LP: 217
Valid 42,467
Rejected: 393
Vote cast: 42860
Nembe LGA
Registered: 99,035
Accredited: 27,404
APC: 22,248
PDP: 4,556
LP: 113
Total valid votes 27,036
Total rejected 264
Vote cast 27300
Ekeremor LGA
Registered: 137,221
Accredited: 32,066
APC: 8,445
PDP: 23,172
LP: 50
Total valid votes: 31741
Rejected 279
Total Vote Cast 32,020