….as Ex-Agric Minister, Heineken Lokpobiri rejects result

Oil tycoon, David Lyon, on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, emerged the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 16, 2019 Bayelsa State governorship election.

According to the results announced by the Collation Officer, Senator Emmanuel Ocheja, Lyon polled a total of 42,138 votes to defeat five other aspirants.

Mrs. Desiye Nsirim came a distant second with 1,533, while Ebitimi Amgbare came third with 633 votes.

A former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri polled 571 votes to come fourth while Professor Ongoebi Etebu and Preye Aganaba got 564 and 354 votes, respectively.

Senator Ocheja, who was flanked by the other national and state officers of the party, said he was standing in for the Returning Officer and Governor of Yobe State, Mai-Mala Buni, who he disclosed was unavoidably absent.

He pointed out that six aspirants contested the election, which was a direct primary or “Option A-4”, adopted by the stakeholders and leaders of the party in the state and ratified by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

In a swift reaction to the outcome of the primary, a former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri says he has rejected the outcome of the governorship primary, describing it as a charade.

He said his decision was based on the fact that the only authentic person in a position to conduct and declare results of the governorship primary was the Governor of Yobe State, Mai-Mala Buni.