Nigeria: Bayelsa governorship supplementary poll results announced

Nigeria’s oil state of Bayelsa will remain in the hands of Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Seriake, a close ally of former Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan won the supplementary governorship poll following official results collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He garnered 134,998 votes against his opponent Timipre Sylva’s 86,852, according to official results announced by Professor Zana Akpaogu in Yenagoa counting center.

Mr Dickson says that 14 people were killed in election-related violence this weekend, but police denied such claims.

The election of Governors took place in April in all of Nigeria, but the Bayelsa’s election had been postponed to early December. The vote was then struck down last month because of violence and irregularities.

The Bayelsa State, which has population of 1.7 million people, is one of the smallest states in Nigeria, and also one of the poorest despite its oil resources.