INEC reveals why PDP's Duoye Diri was declared Bayelsa governor-elect

- INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu has revealed why the commission adhered to the ruling of the Supreme Court

- Yakubu explained that Senator Duoye Diri met all the constitutional requirements to be declared Bayelsa state governor-elect

- With the removal of David Lyon and his votes score, Diri scored the highest number of lawful votes

Just hours after Senator Duoye Diri of the PDP received his certificate of return from INEC, the electoral body explained why it obeyed the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The commission on Friday, February 14, paved the way for Diri to be sworn in as the new governor of Bayelsa state after a Supreme Court judgment sacked David Lyon, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to Premium Times, Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman explained that with the removal of Lyon and his votes as ordered by the court, Senator Diri met all the constitutional requirements to become the governor-elect.

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Yakubu while speaking to reporters in Abuja said: “Without the votes scored by the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose candidates were deemed not to have participated in the election, the total number of lawful votes cast in the election now stand at 146,999.

“Out of this figure, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored the highest number of lawful votes with 143,172.”

The INEC chairman went on to note that the PDP in all the eight local government areas scored more than 25 % of the lawful votes cast. Accord Party with 1,339 votes comes in second place.

It appears INEC’s declaration silences the argument by the ruling APC that the opposition candidate did not meet the constitutional requirement to be declared as governor-elect of Bayelsa state.

Diri is expected to be sworn in as the next governor which would bring Seriake Dickson’s administration to an end.

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In a related development, the national chairman of the APC Adams Oshiomhole vowed that the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Douye Diri would never be sworn in as Bayelsa governor.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the electoral body declared the PDP candidate in the last gubernatorial election as the governor-elect of Bayelsa.

The chairman of the INEC and some national commissioners were in a closed-door meeting at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Although there was no official statement as to why they met, it was gathered that it was to further study the Supreme Court judgment which sacked David Lyon.

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