Bayelsa: Oil magnate wins APC guber primary

David Lyon, a faceless but well-heeled aspirant in  the primary for the November 16 Bayelsa State governorship election, beats  a minister, a professor, and three others to pick the party ticked .

According to the results announced by the Collation Officer, Senator Emmanuel Ocheja,  Lyon polled a total of 42,138, votes to defeat five other aspirants.

Among the losers are Desiye Nsirim, came a distant second with 1,533, while Chief Ebitimi Amgbare came third with 633 votes.

The immediate past Minister of state for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, polled 571 votes to come fourth while Prof Ongoebi Etebu and Prince Preye Aganaba got 564 and 354 votes respectively.

Senator Ocheja, along with the other national and state officers of the party, said he was standing in for the Returning Officer and Governor of Yobe State, Ibrahim Gaidam, whom he disclosed was absent.

The election was ‘Direct Primaries’ ‘Option A-4, ‘ adopted by the state stakeholders and leaders of the party in the state and the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party.