Again, Sylva Fails, Diri Re-Elected For Second Term As Bayelsa State Governor

By Akinwale Kasali

The immediate past Minister of State, Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, has again failed in his bid to the office of the Governor of Bayelsa State. This will be the third time he would fail after his first tenure as Governor.

He has just been defeated by the Incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri. Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  emerged as the winner of the Off Cycle Governorship Election in Bayelsa with an unassailable 65,088 Votes.   Sylva, APC, came second.

The unassailable lead of Governor Diri became vivid  after the collation of the election results from all the eight local government areas of the State on Monday afternoon.

Prof. Faruq Kuta, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Returning Officer who resumed final phase of the collation at about 12:42pm on Monday,  48 hours after the election held in the oil-rich South-South State, announced that the exercise had come to an end as he was expected to formally announce the winner of the election thereafter.

Diri won the election in six of the eight local government areas of the state, while his closest challenger, Sylva, cliched only two LGAs.

The LGAs include Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia, Yenegoa, Sagbama, Nembe, Ekeremor, Brass, and Southern