Bayelsa: INEC complies with Supreme Court judgement, declares PDP candidate winner, Issues Certificate of Return

 Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has complied with the Supreme Court Judgement which nullified the candidature of the APC flag bearer and Governor-elect in the November 16th governorship election in Bayelsa state.

The Supreme court, had on Thursday invalidated the votes received by the APC candidate in the election on the grounds that his Deputy candidate had submitted false certificate to the Commission. It ordered the Commission to withdraw the Certificates of Return issued the APC Governor-Elect and his deputy and return the candidate with the next highest votes.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at a press briefing held at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja on Friday said: “  The Commission has received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment of the apex court which disqualified the Deputy Governorship candidate and vitiated the joint ticket of the party earlier declared winner in the election”.

He added that “the Court also ordered the Commission to “…declare as winner of the Governorship election in Bayelsa State the candidate with the highest number of lawful votes cast with the requisite constitutional (or geographical spread)”

The INEC Chairman explained that “in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, the Commission met this morning and reviewed the result of the election in which 45 political parties contested. Without the votes scored by the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose candidates were deemed not to have participated in the election, the total number of lawful and valid votes cast in the election now stand at 146, 999”.

He continued: “out of this figure, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored the highest number of lawful votes with 143,172. Similarly, the Party has scored more than 25% of the lawful votes cast in all the eight (8) Local Government Areas of the state.”

“The total number of registered voters in places where election was not held or cancelled as a result of sundry violations is 90,822. The candidate of the Accord party has next highest score with 1,339 votes. The margin of lead between the candidates of the PDP and the Accord party is 141,833 votes. With this outcome, the election is conclusive at first ballot”.

Prof. Yakubu thereby declared that “Senator Douye Diri and Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo of the PDP are hereby declared winners and returned elected as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State respectively”.

Consequently, the Governor and Deputy Governor elect were immediately issued Certificates of Return at a brief ceremony in the presence of family and supporters.

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