By Anthony Isaac
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Duoye Diri winner of the November 2019 governorship elections in Bayelsa State.
INEC said Diri scored a total of 143,173 votes to emerge winner after the votes scored by the All Progressive Congress was invalidated by the ruling of the Supreme Court yesterday.
The Commission has handed over the certificate of return to Diri and running mate, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the declaration at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.
ExpressDay recalls that the Supreme Court had on Thursday nullified the participation of the APC in the election, for fielding unqualified candidate as Deputy Governor.
APC Governorship candidate, David Lyon had Biobarakuma Degi-Eremioyo as his Deputy, in the elections. But the Supreme Court ruled that Degi-Eremieoyo had fake certificate.
The Court ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Lyon, and issue another one to the party with the next highest votes.
INEC Chairman told journalists that based on the Supreme Court judgment, Commission has to discard the votes of APC in the election and re-compute the figures.
Yakubu said that INEC had received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment of the apex court.
He said: “In compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, the commission met this morning and reviewed the result of the election in which 45 political parties contested.
“Without the votes scored by the APC, whose candidates were deemed not to have participated in the election, the total number of lawful and valid votes cast in the election now stands at 146,999.
“Out of this figure, the candidate of the PDP scored the highest number of lawful votes with 143,172. Similarly, the party has scored more than 25 per cent of the lawful votes cast in all the eight Local Government Areas of the State.
“Furthermore, the total number of registered voters in places where election was not held or cancelled as a result of sundry violations is 90,822. The candidate of the Accord party has the next highest score with 1,339 votes.
“The margin of lead between the candidates of the PDP and the Accord party is 141,833 votes. With this outcome, the election is conclusive at first ballot.
“Consequently, Sen. Diri and Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo of the PDP are hereby declared winners and returned elected as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State respectively.’’
He said that the commission was aware that the tenure of the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa ends at midnight Friday Feb. 14.
“Therefore, in fulfillment of the requirement of Section 75 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) the Certificates of Return to the Governor and Deputy Govemor-elect will be presented to them immediately as ordered by the Supreme Court”, Yakubu said.
Diri and his deputy are expected to be sworn in later today at the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa.
