Governor Douye Diri has secured a second term as the governor of Bayelsa, less than 48 hours after the governorship election.
In a closely contested election in the oil-rich state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate defeated his All Progressives Congress (APC) colleague Timipre Sylva.
Diri, who took office in 2020, received 175,196 votes, while Sylva received 110,108 votes. According to the results, the PDP candidate defeated his nearest challenger by 65,088 votes.
The Labour Party (LP) finished third with a total of 905 votes.
Third Missionary Journey
While 18 candidates vied for the post, Sylva was Diri’s main contender. The immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum was contesting to return as the governor of the South-South state.
He first became a governor from May 2007 to April 2008. Sylva returned as the leader of the state between May 2008 and January 2012.
But his third attempt to become the governor of Bayelsa State was a bumpy ride. About one month before the election, the Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified him from the contest, citing a breach of the 1999 Constitution if he won.
According to Justice Okorowo, since Sylva has served twice and five years as governor of the state, he would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.
The judge also declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the November poll because if he wins and is sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.
In the wake of the ruling, INEC delisted him as a contestant for the exercise. But APC and Sylva challenged the judgment with the Appeal Court on October 31, 2023 later reversing Sylva’s disqualification for the poll.