The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to win last
Saturday’s governorship elections conducted in Bayelsa and Kogi states
with both candidates of the party, David Lyon and Governor Yahaya Bello
coasting home to victory in their respective states.At Press time, the APC’s candidate, David Lyon was coasting to a comfortable win in the election with just two local government areas, Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor remaining just as his Kogi counterpart, Bello had already won 10 Local Governments out of the 18 declared.
In Bayelsa, Lyon won in four local government areas namely, Brass, Nembe, Yenagoa and Ogbia Local Government Areas respectively of the six declared while his main challenger from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Douye Diri won only in Sagbama and Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Governments.
Lyon from the six local government areas polled 148,244 votes as against Diri who polled 106,167 votes.
APC created a major upset as it won big in the home local government area of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan with a total of 58,016 as against the 13, 763 votes for the PDP.
The results for Southern Ijaw which is Lyon’s home local government and Ekeremor are being expected but results released from polling units indicated that Lyon was leading Diri comfortably.
PDP leaders have however called on INEC to reject what they called cooked up figures being presented as results from the governorship election.
Diri, his running mate, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Chairman of Bayelsa governorship national campaign council, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, the Deputy national chairman, Emmanuel Ogidi who addressed newsmen in Yenagoa accused the military of intimidating electoral officers to alter results in favour of the APC in Ogbia, Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor and parts of Yenagoa.
The candidate who said he had earlier raised a red flag of observations in the Nembe, Brass and parts of Southern Ijaw, said results declared from those areas do not reflect the wishes of the people.
Diri who commended Bayelsans for coming out to vote, regretted how members of the Nigerian Army connived with APC members in the state to hijack electoral materials and changed results at the collation centres.
“Bayelsa PDP members should be resolute. As a party from information available to us from our polling units, we are cruising and coasting to victory. We have very credible information that the Nigerian Army has connived with our opponents to hijack and change results. Presence of soldiers at Collation centres is not acceptable to us. INEC should reject the doctored results being presented to it. Democracy is being arrested and whipped in Bayelsa. This is not how to grow our democracy. We call on all the lovers of democracy to come to the aid of Bayelsa”, he said.
In their separate remarks, Senator Bala Mohammed and Ogidi also commended the INEC for their efforts so far.
Senator Mohammed urged Bayelsans to disregard the propaganda making the rounds, noting that the PDP was leading in the results being announced.
Ogidi however condemned the level of violence perpetrated by the APC before and during the election, stressing it was unfortunate that APC wanted to take over the control of the state by force.
In Kogi, Governor Bello at Press time had won 10 out of the 18 local governments declared.
The results showed that that Gov. Bello of the APC polled 36,954 votes in Okehi Local Government while Mr Musa Wada of the PDP scored 478 votes, and in Ajaokuta Local Government, Bello scored 17, 952 to beat Wada who polled 5,565 votes.
Also in Mopa Muro Local Government, Bello scored 4,953 votes while Wada scored 3,581 votes, and in Idah Local Government, Bello scored 4,602 votes while Wada polled 13,962 votes.
In Olamaboro Local Government Area, while Bello scored 16,876, Wada scored 8, 155 votes, and in Yagba West Local Government, Bello polled 7,868 to beat Wada who scored 8,860.
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