Modupe Gbadeyanka
Governor-Elect of Bayelsa State, Mr David Lyon, has been congratulated by President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory at Saturday’s gubernatorial election in the state.
Mr Lyon was candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 election in Bayelsa State, which had since 1999 been under the control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
President Buhari, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, commended supporters of APC in particular and Nigerians in general in the state who exercised their civic rights in a peaceful manner, notwithstanding the pockets of unrest recorded in some locations.
Condemning the loss of lives in Bayelsa, particularly prior to the election, the President commiserated with the families of the victims.
“Violence during elections vitiates our commitment to demonstrate to the world and upcoming generation that we are a people capable of electing leaders in a peaceful and orderly manner,” he said.
He noted that while officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies did their best within the ambit of the law to ensure free, fair and credible elections, it was unfortunate that pockets of unrest, mostly sponsored by desperate politicians, were recorded during the poll.
Mr Buhari said he looks forward to working with the incoming government to improve the lives of the people in Bayelsa State, while ensuring the security of lives and property of all citizens.
The President urged Governor-elect Lyon to carry other divergent interests along in the next phase of governance, imploring those not satisfied with the outcome of the poll to seek redress through the constitutionally established channels.
In the early hours of Monday, November 18, 2019, INEC, through its returning officer, Mr Friday Orumwese, declared Mr Lyon as winner of the Bayelsa guber exercise.
Mr Orumwese, who is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), said Mr Lyon polled 352,552 votes to defeat candidate of the PDP, Mr Duoye Diri, who he said garnered 143,172 votes.
