As David Lyon clinches APC governorship ticket in Bayelsa
The representative of Kogi West in the senate, Mr. Dino Melaye has been defeated by Mr. Musa Wada, younger brother of the former governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary held in Lokoja on Tuesday/Wednesday.
Wada polled 748 votes while Mr. Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim, son of a former governor, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, came second with 710 votes.
While Capt. Idris Wada polled 345 votes, Melaye got 70 votes.
Other contestants polled as follows: Messrs Aminu Suleiman, 55 votes; Victor Adoji, 54, Erico Joseph, 42; Saliu Atawodi, 11; Emmanuel Omebije, 9; Mohammed Shuaibi, 4; Bayo Michael, 2 and Jabiru Haruna, zero.
The primary ended abruptly in the early hours of Wednesday following the invasion of the Lokoja Confluence Stadium, venue of the primary, by gunmen.
Voting by the delegates had however ended and sorting of ballots under way, when the gunmen stormed the venue at around 1.45am, causing pandemonium.
Votes in eight out of the 10 ballot boxes had been sorted and counted before the disruption, following which the Governor Umar Fintiri-led election panel called a meeting of all the 13 aspirants at the end of which it was agreed that sorting and counting should continue.
In Bayelsa State, therepresentative of Bayelsa central senatorial in the 9th senate, Mr. Douye Diri emerged the PDP governorship candidate.
He beat another strong contender and former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Timi Alaibe.
The governor of Taraba State and PDP electoral chairman for the state, Mr. Darius Ishaku, who announced results, said Diri got 561 votes to beat Alaibe who polled 365 votes in the primary held at thee Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Yenagoa.
He also said another contestant Mr. Keniebi Okoko, came third with 142 votes.
A total of 21 governorship aspirants contested the Bayelsa State PDP primary.
In the All Progressive Congress (APC) primary held today in the state, Mr. David Lyon emerged the winner.
He polled 42,138 votes to win its closest rival, Mrs. Diseye Nsirim, who scored 1,533 votes.
Others were the former minister of state for agriculture and rural development, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, who scored 571 votes, Mr. Preye Aganaba, 354 votes; Mr. Amgbare, 633 votes Prof. Maureen Etebu, 564 votes.
The chief coalition officer, Mr. Dangana Emmanuel, who announced the result in Yenagoa, said the mode was direct primary as agreed by Bayelsa stakeholders and confirmed by the national working committee.
The returning officer for the election was the governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai-Mala Buni.
The off-season governorship election holds in the two states on November 16, 2019.
