YENAGOA—Governor Seriakae 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.
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
centre, 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.
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.
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 Organisation, 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.
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.”
How Dickson won Bayelsa Gov poll
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