The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded election in Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the party winner of the election.
Diri who addressed a press conference alongside the governorship candidates of other political parties that contested last weekend’s election, said results were manipulated for the All Progressives Congress (APC) by INEC while the soldiers were used to assist APC thugs to snatch election materials and intimidate PDP supporters.
On Sunday, INEC declared APC’s David Lyon winner of the election with 352,552 votes to PDP’s 143,172 votes in the most peaceful election Bayelsa State has witnessed since 1999.
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Diri enumerated alleged irregularities in different parts of the state as observed by the Situation Room that the PDP set up and read out results obtained the unit, which showed that the party led the APC.
He also questioned why votes for the APC were computed in the election with disregard for a court judgment that barred the party’s candidate from participating in the election.
According to him, results ought to have been cancelled in all the units and wards where irregularities occurred and if APC was removed from the ballot, he should be declared winner of the election.
Other governorship candidates who spoke also condemned the irregularities and use of the military to intimidate voters, and called on INEC to declare the PDP’s the winner of the election.
