By Matthew Don
Senator Douye Diri, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the November 16 election, has threatened to form a parallel government in Bayelsa State should the Independent National Electoral Com mission (INEC) fail to declare him winner of the poll.
The INEC declared the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), David Lyon winner in the wee hours of Monday, November 18.
The Returning Officer of the INEC and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Faraday Orunmuwese, announced Lyon winner on Monday morning.
He said APC candidate polled a total of 352,552 votes to defeat his closest rival Diri, who scored 143,172 votes.
But Diri has urged the INEC to declare him as the winner of the election as the result it declared in favour of Lylon was both a sham and a ruse.
Speaking at a news conference in Yenegoa, diri urged the PDP members not to mourn, but rather to celebrate victory as INEC will surely announce him winner.
He said what the electoral umpire did was null and void.
Flanked by members of the Coalition of political parties, Diri noted that should INEC fail to declare him as winner and governor-elect, there shall be parallel government in Bayelsa State.
He accused the INEC, the military, the police and APC of compromise, and gave the names of some Party chieftains who masterminded the alleged electoral malpractices.
“Maxwell Okoh, recently nominated as Executive Director Finance and Administration, NDDC, former chief of staff to governor Timipere Sylva and Chief Tiwei Orunimighen who defected to PDP and later returned to APC were responsible for a lot of electoral malpractices during the election, “he said.
Diri also alleged that the GOC of the 16 Brigade who was long transferred out of the state refused to leave until after the election.