Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –
Sitting Bayelsa state Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been re-elected for a second term in office, after a fierce electoral battle with main rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipriye Sylva.
The Returning Officer, Prof Akpagu, on the night of Sunday, January 10, 2016 declared Seriake Dickson duly elected after collating the results from all the Local Government Areas, where Governor Dickson polled a total of 134, 998 votes while the APC candidate, Sylva garnered 86, 852 votes.
After the re-run election conducted on Saturday, January 9, 2016, in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, the PDP candidate floored his main challenger, scoring 23, 081 votes as against former Governor Sylva’s 10, 216 votes.
The election witnessed violence which led to the death of over 10 persons and others injured, in what the PDP alleged was the handiwork of the APC.
Recall that the governorship election which was held on December 5, 2015 was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The electoral body had anchored its decision of widespread violence and glaring cases of ballot snatching, in the Southern Ijaw hence, the decision to order a re-run election in the area.
Okowa Congratulates Dickson on his Election Victory
Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, has congratulated Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, following his victory at the governorship polls in Bayelsa State, which held on December 5th 2015 and January 9th, 2016.
This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, wherein the Governor described the win as “well deserved” for Dickson, a member of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Governor Okowa while commending INEC, security agencies and Bayelsans for a successful election in Bayelsa State, condemned in strong terms the reported cases of violence and killings which characterized the Gubernatorial election in the state.
The Governor expressed sadness over the violence, unwarranted loss of lives that characterized the election and called on the relevant security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.
“On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I congratulate you on your hard earned victory at the Bayelsa State Governorship Election. Your victory is well deserved because you campaigned vigorously, selling the party’s policies and programme to Bayelsans. Your victory in seven out of eight local governments in the state showed too that Bayelsa State is home to the PDP,” he stated.
“Your reelection for a record second term is a fulfillment of the clearly expressed wish of the people of Bayelsa State, I therefore urge you to be humble and magnanimous in victory, remain focused and ever committed to your Restoration Agenda and work for the advancement of the interests of all Bayelsa people irrespective of their political affiliations or loyalties,”
Governor Okowa further called on Hon. Seriake Dickson to regard his reelection to serve as “a sacred mandate from God Almighty and his people which he must discharge with immense dedication, wisdom and vigour to achieve a much more rapid pace of socio-economic development in Bayelsa State for the benefit of its people who resoundingly reaffirmed their trust in his leadership by voting overwhelmingly for his election in the just concluded polls.”
Okowa urged the opposition to accept defeat in good fate and cooperate with the Governor to move the state forward. He wished “Hon. Dickson continued good health and a very successful second tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State”.
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