Bayelsa Governor Senator Douye Diri has emerged candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Diri clinched the ticket on Wednesday with a total of 305 votes as the sole aspirant of the party out of 313 votes cast during the primaries at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa.
Addressing the delegates and party stakeholders, the chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel and Osun Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, said Diri having satisfied the statutory requirements of the primary election emerged winner.
Diri described the process as unprecedented in the history of the State as he was returned unopposed, noting that once a candidate was given the party’s ticket it was as good as winning the election since Bayelsa is dominantly a PDP state.
While appreciating the support of the people, particularly the delegates, the Governor commended the process, stating that even when the State had the best-performing Governors, they had to contend with other aspirants.
Diri 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.
“But what we have done today is only the necessary first steps in a long and hard journey before we will arrive at our desired destination.
“Dear delegates and leaders, we are conscious of the fact that in a democracy, people must be allowed to vote, their votes must be counted and their votes must count. So, whereas, in keeping with our well-entrenched culture of obedience to democratic ethos, the PDP will continue to trust the people to endorse our aspiration to lead.”
The Secretary of the electoral panel and Kaduna South Senator-elect, Hon. Sunday Katung, said there were a total of 323 delegates out of which 315 were accredited while eight were not accredited.
Source- Nation
