Bayelsa Guber: LP candidate requests tribunal to declare him as the winner

Udengs Eradiri, the Labour Party’s candidate for governor in the Bayelsa State governor’s race on November 11th, has petitioned the tribunal to have Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disqualified.

Rejecting the results, Eradiri maintained that he was the only qualified contender who received the necessary number of legitimate votes to be proclaimed the state’s duly elected governor.

Speaking to party supporters and ward and local government representatives at his campaign headquarters in Yenagoa, the state capital, Eradiri said he carefully considered the poll results before deciding to investigate legal options.

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“We said we would look at the issues after the election, and I’m here to formally inform the party leadership that we have gone to court and we pray the court to declare me the winner,” he added.

“I should be proclaimed governor of Bayelsa State because I received the majority of the legitimate votes cast in the election, while the two main opposition parties, the PDP and the APC, produced candidates who were ineligible to run for office.

We have petitioned the tribunal on the grounds that the two applicants’ eligibility is in question. Although many people have given up on the courts, I will contest the statement because of the thin thread of hope that we still have.

“I have made the decision to petition the tribunal to designate me governor after carefully reviewing the entire procedure.

“You can see from the distribution of my 950 votes that I met the constitutional requirements in seven of the eight local governments. If the PDP and APC votes are deemed invalid, then I should be proclaimed the winner.”

Eradiri stated that he would keep bringing up matters that impact the people and that he chose to seek the tribunal on behalf of the “suffering people” of Bayelsa.