Dickson Leads Sylva 4:1,Final Results Today

Seriake Dickson, the incumbent governor of Bayelsa state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is leading his main rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress in the December 5 and 6 governorship election looking at the results so far announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Out of the five local government areas that have been declared, Timipre Sylva, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has only won in Brass, his area. While Dickson has polled a total of 81,929 votes, his rival has so far garnered 55,714 votes.

Dickson is leading in Ekeremor, Sagbama, Yenagoa and Kolokuma/Okpokuma LGAs.

With the results so far, the incumbent governor may be coasting home to victory except the outcome of the governorship poll in Nembe, Ogbia (former President Goodluck Jonathan’s area) and Southern Ijaw will overwhelmingly be in favour of the APC candidate.

Dickson is currently leading with a difference of 25,415 votes, a margin that may be difficult for Sylva to reduce with the results of Southern Ijaw, Nembe and Ogbia LGAs still expected.

The results released so far showed that both Sylva and Dickson won comfortably in their various local government areas.

One shortcoming that was easily observed was the voter apathy in the state as the number of registered voters was far more than the number of total votes cast.

Incidents of violence, snatching of ballot boxes and over-voting were reported in polling units across the five local government areas by the APC and PDP agents, who were present at the collation centre in the state capital.

The development, according to the state APC agent, Mr. Dennis Otiotio, led to the cancellation of election in the affected polling units in some of the local government areas where the PDP won.

Having presided over the collation and announcement of the results, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar and Returning Officer, Prof Zana Akpagu, told newsmen and observers to reconvene by 10am on Monday (today) for the release of the remaining results in three local government areas.

There were reports that voting was still ongoing in Southern Ijaw LGA as of 6pm with the heavy presence of security operatives.

Meanwhile, Sylva has called for the cancellation of election results in Sagbama and Ekeremor LGAs of the state.

According to him, widespread violence, security breaches and election manipulation, which he alleged were carried out by Dickson and the PDP in parts of the state during last Saturday’s governorship election, have invalidated the results of the election.

A statement by the Director, Media and Publicity, Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation, Chief Nathan Egba, asked INEC to cancel the results in the two affected local government areas.

The statement read, “It is now a well-known fact that over 1,000 armed men, suspected to have been imported from Delta and Rivers states by Governor Dickson, stormed Ekeremor community, where they unleashed terror on the entire community from the wee hours of election day for many hours before they were repelled by the Army, only for them to return in the evening when results were about to be collated.

“The gunmen we suspected were hired for the sole purpose of assassinating the Minister for State, Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, launched a sustained attack on his residence with grenade, dynamite and gunshots for hours before the Army repelled them.

He was very lucky to have survived that night as they returned in the evening to continue till they were again repelled by the Army.

“But in the meantime, they had carted away sensitive election materials to manipulate in favour of PDP and returned for collation.”

He stated that in Sagbama LGA, home of Dickson, youths, who were again alleged to have been brought from Delta and Rivers states, also hijacked the materials that were meant for all the riverside communities in the LGA, including the ward of the former acting governor of the state, Nestor Binabo.

He noted that other wards, where election did not hold, included Wards I and II.

He submitted that the violence, which cut across the state, largely took place in parts of Sagbama, Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw LGAs, where election was later rescheduled.

He said, “We therefore call on the INEC to cancel the election results in the two local government areas of Sagbama and Ekeremor and reschedule the exercise.

“The Sylva-Igiri Campaign also condemns in very strong terms the continuous breach of electoral laws by Governor Dickson when he stormed the Yenagoa LGA Collation Centre last night to threaten APC collation agents and this morning when he went to Oporoma against the law and also with full security details against the IGP’s directive.”

Before the announcement of the results on Sunday, the PDP in the state raised the alarm over an alleged plot to rig the rescheduled poll in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and other units and wards in Bayelsa State.

It was reported that five persons were feared dead in Southern Ijaw LGA though the police authorities dismissed the report.

The police had said some persons were injured, stating that nobody was killed.