#BayelsaDecides: Controversy as Dickson takes early lead

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last night announced results from few local government areas in the governorship supplementary held in Southern Ijaw local government area and other 101 polling units across Bayelsa State.

INEC however put off the exercise until 11 am Sunday morning because results from other polling units in other local government areas were still being expected.

The collation of results was not however without controversy, as the agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, vehemently protested the result declared for Brass Local Government, saying it is not a true reflection of what took place on the field. The Returning Officer however countered him, saying the PDP should have protested the figures at the local government level and not at the state collation centre.

However, results so far released by the electoral umpire indicates that Governor Seriake Dickson is in an early lead.

Dickson had won in all the local governments where election held in the December 5 elections except 1.

Meanwhile, Governor Dickson has decried the killing of some people during yesterday’s election, accusing chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, of masterminding them.
The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, accused APC chieftains of masterminding the killing of innocent Bayelsans in Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe and Southern Ijaw and wondered why the APC would kill to capture power.

Read also: #Bayelsadecides: Violence, ballot snatching plague supplementary poll

Reacting to the accusation, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, dismissed the claims that there were heavy shootings in Ekeremor that led to loss of lives.

“Election in Ekeremor went on peacefully and the resort to this by the PDP is just a way of laying the foundation to cancel the supplementary poll so that whatever advantage it had before now will be sustained. No shooting whatsoever in Ekeremor.

But in a twist to the situation, the police denied claims that over 10 persons suspected to be militants and political thugs were killed during the supplementary elections.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat, said nobody was killed in any part of the state during the poll.

“I can confirm to you that nobody was killed in any part of the state during the election. Be rest assured that there was no report like that,” he said.

Results declared included:
Ogbia supplementary result collation officer, Dr Anakwe
No of Registered voters 4344
No of accredited voters 1551
Votes scored APC 139, PDP 1290
Total valid votes 1449
Rejected votes 47
Total vote cast 1496

Sagbama supplementary result
No of Registered voters 2005
No of accredited voters 326
Votes scored APC 111, PDP 180
Total valid votes 303
Rejected votes 21
Total votes cast 324

Brass supplementary result
No of Registered voters 2255
No of accredited voters 1703
Votes scored APC 1679, PDP 05
Total valid votes 1696
Rejected votes 7
Total votes cast 1703

Collation officer, Dr. Perekeme Bertola, lecturer Niger Delta University
7 registered areas with 18 polling units
No of registered voters 9560
Accredited Voters 1480
No of votes scored APC 448
PDP 839
Total valid votes 1309
Rejected votes 54
Total vote cast 1363

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