INEC declares David Lyon as winner of Bayelsa poll

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, David Lyon, Monday was declared the winner of the Bayelsa State governorship poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“That Lyon David of APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared winner and returned elected,” said the returning officer in the poll Professor Faraday Orumwese.

Orumwese said Lyon polled 352,552 votes to defeat Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 143, 172 votes. Official INEC figures showed that Bayelsa has 922, 562 registered voters but 517,883 voters were accredited for the election on Saturday. About 68% of those votes were cast in favour of APC and its candidate.

49-year old Lyon won six out of the eight local government areas in the state. APC cleared Brass, Ekeremor, Nembe, Ogbia, Southern Ijaw, and Yenagoa local government areas while Diri won in Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama.

The victory hands Nigeria’s ruling party its first governorship victory in the country’s oil-rich South-South region. The PDP has been leading the state since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999. The party is also on course to win the governorship election held in Kogi State on Saturday.