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Why It Lost To The PDP
The Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress APC in Bayelsa State made costly mistakes in the conduct of its Governorship Primary election that resulted to the nomination of former Governor Timipre Sylva as the duly nominated 2023 Off-Circle Governorship candidate irrespective of the complicated baggage of electoral values. Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva is alleged to have been sworn in the second term in office as executive Governor of Bayelsa State which a lower Court affirmed few days to the election proper in 2023 really sent negative signs to his ineligibility as Governor and Bayelsa state citizens and residents were aware of not wasting their votes to someone who may be removed from office due to this observed anomaly.
But last-minute declaration by the Court of Appeal that put Timipre Sylva back to the ballot papers after INEC removed him never reassured Bayelsians that their votes for APC will eventually be counted as valid, not knowing what Supreme Court might come up with should APC win the governorship election. Ordinarily with the presence of APC at the Federal Level given the fact that since 1999 Bayelsa State had not played opposition politics as they have always aligned with the government at the centre but with the Supreme Court judgment of 2019 where APC Governor-Elect David Lyon 2-days to his swearing in ceremony lost the mandate given to him and his deputy Biobarakuma Eremienyo Degi whose academic credential had three different names printed in them.
Dr. Samuel Ogbuku a former aide to Timipre Sylva was positioned to pick the All Progressives Congress-APC gubernatorial ticket but his master who had already made him Acting Managing Director and Chief executive Officer of Niger Delta Development commission NDDC changed the entire game plan and presented himself as the probable Governorship candidate of APC in the off-Circle Governorship election in Bayelsa State on 11th of November,2023. Throughout the period of his electioneering campaign Timipre Sylva was dragged to Court by his opponent PDP as a pre-election matter on his qualification having served as governor of Bayelsa State twice as alleged.
A closer look at the Governorship election results recorded low turn-out of voters when compared with the 2019 Governorship election in Bayelsa State. The total number of registered voters stood at 922,562 and accredited voters were 517,883. With 8 Local government Areas in Bayelsa State comprising of Ekeremor, Sagbama, Ogbia, Southern ijaw, Nembe, Brass, Yenagoa and Kolokuma/Opokuma and 3-Senatorial districts there are areas with high population density and politically advantaged areas on the note of their political participation during elections in the state. In the 2019 Governorship election David Lyon of APC won the election with 352,552 representing 70.59 percent of total votes cast while Duoye Diri then got 143, 172 number of votes representing 28.67 percent of total votes cast.
But in 2023 the voting pattern took a detour like Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA having total accredited voters of 24, 171 where APC got 5, 349 votes and PDP got 18,465 and Labour Party got 22 votes. In Ogbia LGA total number of accredited voters remained 36,955 whereas APC got 16,319 votes, PDP got 18, 435 votes and Labour Party got 57. In Yenagoa the state capital total number of Accredited Voters was 54,380 APC got 14,534 and PDP got 37,777 and Labour Party got 244.
In Sagbama LGA where the immediate past Governor Seriake Dickson hails from, the total number of accredited voters remained at 42,879 whereas APC got 6,608 votes and PDP got 35,504 votes and Labour Party got 217 votes. Nembe LGA being Rivers East Senatorial district where APC governorship candidate Timipre Sylva comes from total number of accredited voters remains 27, 404 where APC won with 22,248 votes and PDP got 4,556 votes and labour got 113 votes. In Ekeremor a well-established political strong hold of Bayelsa State a victory at Ekeremor a Riverine coastal zone is a determinant for measurement in declaration of who wins at every governorship election circle in Bayelsa State, Ekeremor recorded 32,066 accredited total voters as APC got 8, 445 votes, PDP got 23, 172 votes and Labour Party got 50 votes. Brass LGA Bayelsa East Senatorial District where Timipre Sylva hails from, has total number accredited voters as 94,040 with APC garnering 18,431 voters against PDP 12, 602 votes and Labour Party got 83 votes.
Southern Ijaw Local Government Area had a total number of accredited voters as 50,153 whereas APC got 18,174 votes and PDP got 24,685 votes and Labour Party got 119 votes.   It could have been a different ball game had Timipre Sylva allowed fresh face in the political landscape of Bayelsa State like Dr. Samuel Ogbuku and others to vie for the APC governorship ticket, the incumbent Governor, Duoye Diri couldn’t have had easy ride back to CREEK HAVEN Bayelsa state seat of political power in Yenagoa.
