Bayelsa 2020: Dickson’s Candidate, Diri, Emerges PDP Flagbearer

By Akinwale Kasali

There was wild jubilation in the camp of Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, as his choice candidate, Senator Duoye Diri, emerged  the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, primary, held Tuesday, and rounded off Wednesday  morning in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

The victory for Dickson’s man came days after his disagreement with a number of stakeholders in the state over the choice of the candidate that will hoist the party’s flag at the gubernatorial elections in November.

Many of the stakeholders  wanted former Chairman and Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Ndutimi Alaibe, to be the party’s candidate.

This brought about a rift within the PDP in the State.

At the election, Diri pulled 561 votes as against Alaibe’s 365 votes, while Keneibi Okoko garnered 124 votes.

Other contestants; Great Joshua Maclaver got 7 votes, while Franklin Erepamo Osaisai had 4 votes. Fred Agbedi had 18 votes, while Reuben Okoya had 19 votes.

Diri will now slug it out, mainly, with the winner of the APC primary, in November, for who would be sworn in as the governor on February 14, 2020.

It is not known how the disunity in the PDP will affect its fate in the election