Diri Defeats Sylva, Clinches Second Term As Bayelsa Gov

More than 48 hours after the Bayelsa governorship election, Governor Douye Diri has clinched a second term in office as the leader of the coastal state.

“That Diri Douye of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the INEC Returning Officer for the election Prof Faruq Kuta said in declaring Diri the winner of the exercise after multiple breaks and adjournments.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate fought off his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart Timipre Sylva in a fiercely contested exercise in the oil-rich state.

Diri, who came into power in 2020, got a total of  175,196 votes while Sylva polled 110,108 votes. The figures meant the PDP flagbearer beat his closest rival by  65,088 votes. The Labour Party (LP) scored a total of 905 votes to come a distant third.

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