The Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has emerged the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11 governorship election.
This was as the PDP National secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, clinched the party’s governorship ticket for Imo State on Wednesday.
In Bayelsa, Diri was the party’s only aspirant approved by the Philip Shuaibu-led screening committee for the election in March.
The primary, held on Wednesday, had no other contestant in line with the PDP rule of the incumbent being entitled to the right of first refusal.
Diri clinched the ticket with a total of 305 votes as the sole aspirant of the party out of 313 votes cast during the primary, which took place at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa.
Adeleke said the governor polled a total of 305 “yes” votes to emerge as the sole candidate of the party for the forthcoming Bayelsa governorship poll.
He said, “Having satisfied the requirements of this election and having scored the highest number of votes, I, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, by the power vested in me as the chairman, Chief Returning Officer, hereby declare Senator Douye Diri as the winner of the election.
“I, therefore, return him as the candidate of the PDP in the November 2023 election.”
Diri also described the exercise as “the best primary in the history of the party in Bayelsa State.”
Diri, who is seeking re-election for a second term, added, “Some would have questioned our governor is the only candidate; we don’t need this process; our governor can just continue, and then we face whoever will come from any opposition party here in the state.
“But the electoral laws do not permit us to vote that way. It is therefore with the utmost joy and a very grateful heart to all of us in the Peoples Democratic Party, the leaders, the followers, and all the allies, that I do accept your nomination as the candidate of our great party, the PDP, to contest the November 11 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State.”
