Diri Emerges PDP Guber Candidate For Nov 11 Poll

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has emerged the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state, Guardian Nigeria reoorts.

Diri clinched the ticket, on Wednesday, with a total of 305 votes as sole aspirant of the party out of 313 votes cast during the primaries, which took place at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa.

Addressing delegates and party stakeholders, Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel and Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, said Diri, having satisfied the statutory requirements of the primary, emerged the winner.

In his remarks before the exercise, Adeleke called for a peaceful conduct of the process in accordance with the party’s constitution and relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He described Bayesa as a PDP state and enjoined members to ensure it remains so by electing Diri again.

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He said: “Bayelsa is a PDP state. We must make sure it remains so in the coming election. We have to join hands together and make sure the governor retains his seat by the special grace of God.”

In his acceptance speech, Diri expressed gratitude to the delegates and the party for giving him the ticket to contest for a second term in office. Diri described the process as unprecedented in the history of the state as he was returned unopposed, noting that once a candidate is given the party’s ticket it was as good as winning the election since Bayelsa is dominantly a PDP state.

He said: “Whereas, in an unprecedented turn of events, I was the sole aspirant, who picked the nomination and expression of interest forms to contest on the platform of our great party as its flagbearer in the November 2023 governorship election.

“It is, therefore, with utmost joy and profound gratitude I accept your kind endorsement of the process. I am truly humbled by your confidence in me to seek a second term to continue building the human and physical bridges that will lead us to the shared prosperity that our founding fathers envisaged for our people.

“Today is the beginning of an end; the culmination of the start of the process that, hopefully, by the grace of God and the will of the good people of Bayelsa State, will lead us back to Creek Haven for a second tenure.”

Secretary of the electoral panel and Kaduna South Senator-elect, Sunday Katung, said there were total of 323 delegates out of which 315 were accredited while eight were not accredited.