The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate Seriake Dickson is leading in the governorship elections in Bayelsa State from early results tallied by our correspondent. But the election has been bloody with gunshots heard in several places. A policeman was killed in Famgbe, in Yenogoa Local Government. A certain Osom Blankson, a notorious political thug in Bayelsa state is alleged to have killed the policeman though this is yet to be confirmed.
Collated results in the Kogi State supplementary polls showed that the PDP could not muster over 40,000 votes it required the upstage the APC. Results from Okene LGA showed that APC scored 208 votes to PDP’s 2 votes; Olabamoro LGA APC 167, PDP 332; Yagba West APC 86, PDP 73; Okehi LGA APC 108, PDP 0, Igalamela APC 92, PDP 434; Kogi Keke LGA APC 406, PDP 281. The APC hence is projected to be announced winner of the overall governorship election in the state.
Signs of electoral violence in Bayelsa were noticed Friday night and early Saturday morning when some unknown gunmen shot sporadically into the air within the precinct of Yenagoa.
However, results from Sagbama, Kolokuma Okpokuma, Nembe and Ogbia shows the PDP candidate, Hon. Seriaki Dickson leading.
Although the elections in Sagbama Local Government Area has been very peaceful, reports from other Local Government Areas suggest electoral violence notably in Southern Ijaw Local Government and Nembe Local Government areas.
The Independent National Electoral Commission and the police confirmed that election in some places in Southern Ijaw Local Government area has been postponed due to the late take off of the exercise in the area.
INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi and Police Commissioner, Operations, David Folawiyo, confirmed the postponement. Mr. Folawiyo said: “We got word from Bayelsa that polling officials and electoral officials have met and have taken decision to continue tomorrow in such places where there was violence so that they don’t go far into the night or enter in the night. The decision was taken by electoral official not the police.”
