THE All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, won another local government area (LGA) when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) resumed collation of results on Monday afternoon.
The state Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, resumed collation at 12:42 on Monday, about 48 hours after the election held in the oil-rich South-South state.
The APC candidate won Brass LGA which was the first to be announced at the resumption of collation today.
In Brass, Sylva polled 18, 431 while Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 12,602.
So far, Diri has won five of the eight local government areas in the state while Sylva cliched two LGAs.
Results from Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia, Yenegoa, Sagbama, Nemb, Ekeremor and Brass LGAs are out remaining only that of Southern Ijaw.
Kuta, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Of Technology, Minna, is expected to announce the winner of the poll upon the conclusion of collation today.
Sixteen political parties sponsored candidates for the election in Bayelsa. However, many analysts have described the contest as a two-horse race between Sylva and Diri, who is seeking re-election.
Sylva is a former Minister of State For Petroleum Resources and an ex-governor of the state. He was third Bayelsa governor from May 2007 to April 2008 and later between May 2008 and January 2012.
The PDP candidate is leading his APC counterpart with over 55,000 votes but results from Southern Ijaw may change the game in favour of the ex-minister.
Meanwhile, protests broke out in many parts of the state on Sunday over allegations of voter intimidation, voter suppression, and vote buying across the state, especially in Nembe Bassambiri, where many voters said elections did not hold.
Like Bayelsa, governorship polls were held on Saturday in Imo and Kogi states and winners have already been announced in the two states. For Imo, the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma, of the APC, won the poll while his party man in Kogi, Usman Ododo was declared elected by INEC.
