YENAGOA—Governor Seriake Dickson was, yesterday, returned as
the winner of the Bayelsa State governorship election. This followed the
declaration of the results of the supplementary elections conducted at the
weekend in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and 101 polling units in six
other local government areas. The supplementary elections followed the
cancellation of the election in Southern Ijaw and the 101 units due to
irregularities in the governorship election conducted on December 5, 2015.
Governor Dickson jubilates over victory at Bayelsa re-run
poll
VICTORY—Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson (center),
flanked by his wife, Rachael (right)and PDP Acting National Chairman, Prince
Uche Secondus, raising their hands in victory, shortly after INEC’s
announcement, declaring Dickson as winner of the State Governorship election,
yesterday.
Dickson, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, polled 134,988 votes to triumph over his predecessor and candidate
of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Timipire Sylva who polled 86,852
votes. A total of 232,167 votes were cast in the election out of which 6,647
votes were rejected as invalid.
Moses Siasia, a younger brother of Nigeria’s Under 23
football coach, Samson Siasia, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Movement, PDM, took a distant third with 1,572 votes despite a high-profile
campaign.
The declaration of the final results by the returning
officer, Professor Zana Akpagu commenced shortly after 8.00 p.m. last night and
punctured the high drama and suspense that had held many of the state’s
political stakeholders for most of yesterday.
The agents of the PDP, Chief Fred Agbedi and that of the
APC, Barrister Dennis Otiotio had in the course of the day at the collation
center, Yenagoa, repeatedly exchanged accusations over the conduct of the
supplementary elections in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and some other
units where the elections were cancelled last December.
Earlier in the day, the returning officer for Southern Ijaw
Local Government Area, Dr. Johnson Dagana had declared the result of the
election in the local government area putting Dickson as the winner of the
contest in the area with 23,2081 votes. Sylva, who had earlier predicated his
possible victory in the governorship election to amassing significant votes to
wipe away the 30,000 plus lead of Dickson, garnered last December, however,
failed to record the upset in the local government area.
Bayelsa Governorship election results
Bayelsa Governorship election results
In the end, he got only 10,216 votes out of the 33,607 valid
votes cast in the local government area that is also the base of Dickson’s late
patron and first civilian governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
Following the declaration of the results, Barrister Otiotio,
agent of the APC candidate immediately renounced the declaration of Dickson as
the winner, saying the election should have been declared inconclusive on the
claim that the difference between the two leading candidates was less than the
number of cancelled votes. He also alleged irregularities in voting in some
sections of the state.
His claim was immediately dismissed by Agbedi, the PDP agent
who blamed the irregularities on the APC even as he acclaimed the performance
of Dickson as the reason for the PDP victory.
Ekweremadu congratulates Dickson
Following the declaration of the results, the Deputy
President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the highest elected PDP
official in the Federal Government, congratulated Dickson saying the victory
was sweet.
He said: “It is a sweet victory, coming against all odds. It
is a testimony to the performance and popularity of Governor Seriake Dickson
and our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“I commend the people of Bayelsa State for standing up to be
counted, for protecting their democratic rights to freely choose their leaders.
They have made a resounding statement to the effect that the state remains a
PDP enclave and that they are committed to keeping it so.”
He, however, charged Governor Dickson to repay Bayelsans for
their faith in the PDP and his leadership credentials with greater
transformation in his second term.
He also enjoined him to reach out to his opponents for the
peace and progress of the state, while ensuring that every part of the state is
fairly treated irrespective of their political choices.
The state chapter of the PDP, however, rued what it described
as the cost of human lives it took the party to achieve victory.
The party stated this through the Director of Publicity,
Restoration Campaign Organization, Jonathan Obuebite, shortly after the
declaration of the results.
“It’s painful that this victory has come with so much pain
because we lost dear ones. Those who died are our brothers. So many are yet in
the hospitals nursing life threatening injuries because our opponents wanted to
win at all cost. We wish to express our deepest condolences once again and to
assure them that their death will not be in vain”, it stated.
Obuebite who noted that the victory was important because it
came the way of the PDP even in the face of intimidation, tyranny, threats and
violent attacks, added that “despite the challenges, democracy won.”
He said: “We want to use this opportunity to sincerely thank
all Bayelsans for their doggedness and patriotism because even in the face of
such terrible intimidation and violence decided, out of their own volition,
they came out to re-elect and return the Countryman Governor to office for the
next four years. We are grateful for your remarkable decision as expected in a
democracy.”
Dickson thanks
electorate, says no celebration
In his acceptance speech, Bayelsa State Governor, Henry
Seriake Dickson, thanked the electorate for ensuring his re-election for
another four years, but said there would be no celebration because of the
number of lives that have been lost.
The governor in an emotion-laden statement signed by his
Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, released to journalists last
night in Yenagoa, however, vowed that he would do everything possible to
identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He promised to work tirelessly to justify the mandate given
to him “as we tried to do in the first four years to almost universal
acknowledgement and approbation.”
While extending a hand of fellowship to his political
opponents, Dickson said since election has been won and lost, the needs of
Bayelsans, the challenge of improving their material condition remains and is
even more urgent.
The text of the Governor’s statement reads thus: “My good
people of Bayelsa State, I am extremely humbled tonight on the valiant efforts
you made to revalidate the mandate you gave me four years ago. With all manner
of forces arrayed against us not least the utter desperation of our political
opponents, community after community led by women and youth stood gallantly to
defend the sanctity of their votes and to resist the efforts of hoodlums who
style themselves as “militants” to undermine the democratic process.
“To the extent that the people ensured that they spoke loud
and clear and that their choice clearly emerged provides some reassurance that
our democracy is coming of age. Sadly however the elections were conducted at
the price of several lives lost and mayhem visited on many communities by
mindless brigands clearly suborned by those who do not respect the democratic
process and have equally scant regard for the sanctity of lives and property.
Unfortunately, we can’t celebrate because people have died.
“I want to assure you that we will do everything possible to
identify the culprits and bring them to justice. I want to express my heartfelt
condolences and sympathy to the families of the innocent victims of the
violence. The government will be undertaking a full account of what happened.
“The mandate you have given us having been clearly
demonstrated, I want to assure you that my administration will work tirelessly
to justify this mandate as we tried to do in the first four years to almost
universal acknowledgement and approbation. The present economic climate in the
country may be very harsh with the precipitous slide in oil revenues but I want
to assure you that we will courageously tackle the challenges of economic and
social development with renewed vigour.
“Here I will like to extend a hand of fellowship to our
political opponents. The election has been won and lost but the needs of our
people, the challenge of improving their material condition remains and is even
more urgent. That should now be the focus of all our attention and efforts.
“God bless the valiant people of Bayelsa.”
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