Douye Diri: Facts to Know About Bayelsa PDP Governor Seeking Re-Election
- Governor Douye Diri will be testing his strength on Saturday alongside other candidates on Saturday, November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State
- The governor has been predicted to win the election following the endorsement by CAN and the CellHub poll that favoured him
- However, Diri's failure to utilise the 13% oil derivational fund to curb the multidimensional poverty in the state has been weaponised against him
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Legit.ng journalist Bada Yusuf is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.
Yenagoa, Bayelsa - Douye Diri is the incumbent governor of Bayelsa State and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Diri was a former lawmaker who represented Bayelsa Central senatorial district from 2019 to 2020.
Source: Twitter
How Diri became governor
The emergence of Dir as governor of Bayelsa state was after the election of David Lyon, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, was annulled by the Supreme Court.
Lyon was declared the winner of the November 2019 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Supreme Court, in its ruling, affirmed the verdict of the federal high court that disqualified Lyon's running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo. He was found guilty of submitting forged certificates to INEC.
Diri, in his reaction to the news of the Supreme Court ruling, described himself as a miracle governor.
Will Diri be re-elected?
Governor Diri enjoyed the enjoyed the support of the PDP as he clinched the ticket of the party through consensus in April 2023. He got 305 of the 315 votes from the delegates in the PDP primary election.
The governor has been endorsed by the Bayelsa state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), a strong indication of victory with the oil-rich state being a Christian dominated one.
Also, Diri has been predicted to be the potential winner of the election in a poll that was conducted by a data mining group, CellHub. The poll was conducted with a number of data analysts and development experts.
Why Diri May Lose Saturday election
There is high percentage of multidimensional poverty in the state according to the report by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistic (NBS).
the state is one of the Niger Delta State that received the 13% oil derivation, but the governor appeared to have failed to utilise the resources of the state to reduce poverty among the people.
The failure of the governor to effectively address the economic and social challenges in the state has been weaponised by the opposition and this could affect the state.
INEC to publish candidates' credentials for Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa polls
Legit.ng earlier reported that INEC has announced that it will publish the names and credentials of candidates contesting for the Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa governorship elections on Friday.
Festus Okoye, the spokesperson of the electoral body, in a statement, disclosed that their details would be published at the local government and state headquarters of INEC in the 3 states.
Governors Hope Uzodinma, Douye Diri and former Senator Dino Melaye are the popular candidates in the November elections.
Source: Legit.ng
