While we await the final results and declaration of the winner of protracted Bayelsa State governorship elections, results emanating from the State’s collation centre indicated that, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), candidate, Governor Seriake Dickson is still maintaining a comfortable lead over the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s main rival, Timipre Sylva.
The supplementary governorship election were held in Southern Ijaw LGA and 101 units in the state on Saturday, January 9.
Despite the noticeable improved performance of the card readers provided by the Independence National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the elections, there was a low turnout of voters.
The collated results from various polling units and wards across the state where the supplementary governorship election took place showed that Dickson may be cruising home to a resounding and long-awaited victory after INEC was forced to declare the December 5, 2015 polls inconclusive.
Going into the polls yesterday, the PDP was leading the APC by over 33, 000 votes but that gulf seemed to have widened as results made available by the INEC officials at the various polling units indicate the party swept the polls in units and wards in Amassoma, Otuan, Ogbia, Nembe Ogbolomabiri, Ekpetiama and some other communities.
As at the time of filing this report the PDP polled 7,234 votes while APC is having 2,377 votes.
It was learnt that decentralization of election materials policy adopted by the INEC, went a long way in ensuring that election materials arrived early in some communities, even though there were isolated cases of hijacking of election materials and violence in some areas.