BREAKING: INEC Presents Certificate Of Return To Bayelsa Governor-Elect, Duoye Diri, Deputy

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented the Certificate of Return to Senator Douye Diri.

Diri’s deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo was also presented his certificate of return.

The electoral commission in a briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the November 16 Bayelsa governorship election.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu told journalists that Diri was declared the winner after top officials met on Friday morning to review the results of the election, without the votes of the APC which have been voided by the court.

“The total votes cast after excluding those of the APC now stand at 146,999. PDP polled 143,172 and scored 25 percent as required by the law,” Yakubu said during the briefing.

Diri’s victory follows Supreme Court verdict which sacked David Lyon, and his Deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo.

Justice Ejembi Ekwo, who read the lead judgment on Thursday made the orders after disqualifying the APC’s deputy governorship candidate, Degi-Eremienyo, as a candidate in the election for submitting forged certificates to INEC.

The court ruled that Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had infected the joint ticket with which he and the governorship candidate, Lyon, ran for and won November 16, 2019.

A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili then ordered the INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to the APC candidate.