Sylva, Eradiri Reject Bayelsa Election Result, Demand Review

Candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva and the Labour Party, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, have rejected the processes and the results of the just-concluded Bayelsa State governorship election that produced the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Douye Diri, as the winner.

Addressing newsmen after the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday, November 13, 2023, the APC state chairman and party agent, Barr. Dennis Otiotio, said the party has rejected the results announced by INEC and did not sign the result.

He said, “Over 84,000 votes scored by APC in Nembe and Southern Ijaw were cancelled and so we will not be signing the result. In Nembe, over 29,000 votes were cancelled that APC scored. In Southern Ijaw over 55,000 votes were cancelled. If you put the total votes cancelled that APC scored in the field which is about 84,806 votes, if you add it to what APC scored, we clearly won the election.

“It is clear that INEC has colluded with the PDP to cancel our result in the INEC office, not at the field. The votes were brought from the EC8A and EC8B to the INEC office, they decided to cancel over 84,000 votes scored by the APC.

“It is unprecedented, it has never happened anywhere and we are totally rejecting these results. The electoral act allows INEC to review the results within seven days and so we have written the necessary petitions which we have submitted and we are believing that INEC in good conscience will look at our petition and deal with it justiciably.”

Meanwhile, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Engr. Udengs Eradiri, who also rejected the results, said the election was held against the cardinal principles, laid-down procedures and ground rules that democratic elections to offices, especially that of the governor of a state, must be free, fair, credible and peaceful.