…Lyon, Daumiebi rejects results
Chief Timipre Sylva, All Progressives Congress (APC) standard- bearer for the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State has again commended aspirants and delegates that took part in the APC governorship primary election over the weekend.
The Governorship Primary Election Panel headed by Major- General Ahmed Jibrin had declared Sylva winner of the election after polling 52,061 out of the votes cast.
Other results indicated that Mr Great Joshua Maciver polled 2,078, winner of the 2019 Bayelsa governor election and former governor-elect polled 1582 votes, Prof Ongoebi Etebu polled 1277 votes, Mrs Ikisima Ogomade polled 584 votes while Festus Sunday Daumiebi polled 557 votes.
Sylva, immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum and former governor of the state who is basking in the euphoria in an interview with journalists maintained that his victory is not a personal victory.
He called for an issue- based and peaceful campaign so as to allow Basyelsans to freely elect whoever they want as governor.
“This is not a personal victory, it is a collective one. Our party has once again demonstrated what true democracy is, how elections should be – peaceful, credible and reflective of the people’s wishes’
“I thank the other aspirants. As a party and as a people we owe them a debt of gratitude. I do not see their move as one of ambition, all I see, all that can be seen is true love and patriotism for our state and party’.
“I thank members of our great party who came out en masse to vote. I know the dream that spurred you on – a better Bayelsa, a more accountable state, a truly prosperous state and the original Glory of All Lands’.
“Together we will achieve that. I will work with the other aspirants and party stakeholders and we will create the Bayelsa we all yearn for, we will make every Bayelsan proud of our state’.
“Our brothers and sisters from other political divides must have watched how the APC elections went. We demand the same decorum in the general elections. Bayelsans deserve the right to freely exercise their franchise, they must have a stake in their own state”, he said.
Meanwhile the battle has shifted to the national headquarters of the party as two aspirants, Lyon and Daumiebi are pressing for a cancellation of the process.
In two separate statements, Lyon and Daumiebi rejected the outcome of the primaries arguing that the results did not reflect the wishes of party members.
Daumiebi in a statement he signed said while party members trooped out to cast their votes, electoral officials failed to turn out for the election.
Lyon in a statement he also signed described the election as “irresponsible” and called on the National Working Committee to reject the results declared.
Investigations revealed that Lyon and Daumiebi are turning to their loyalists within the NWC of the party and those close to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu to help them put pressure on the NWC to void the result.
Credit: The SUN.
