APC support group in Bayelsa blames ex-Bayelsa governor for poor outing

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

An All Progressives (APC) support group in Bayelsa on Tuesday berated the party’s governorship candidate who won the Bayelsa governorship election, Chief David Lyon for the poor outing of the party in the just concluded general elections in Lyon’s Ward.

It would be recalled that Lyon won the Nov 2019 governorship in Bayelsa, but the victory was short-lived as the Supreme Court annulled APC’s victory on the eve of Lyon’s inauguration on Feb. 13, 2020, over discrepancies in the credentials submitted by APC Deputy Governorship candidate.

The group, SILGA Frontier Force said that rather than consolidate APC’s performance in the previous governorship election, the former Governor-Elect lost his ward to the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in the March 18 State Assembly elections.

The group noted that Lyon, who is expected to propagate the ideals of APC in his Ward 4 Constituency 4 of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area performed abysmally low as the APC results fell short of expectations.

Reacting to the results announced by INEC, Chied Willabo Tebeolotu, Secretary SILGA Frontier Force Secretary described the results as ’embarrassing’ and criticised Lyon for a ‘poor run of results exacerbated by sheer incapacity to deliver

He said that APC polled 759 votes at Ward 4, Southern Ijaw Constituency 4 while the PDP won with 846 votes, beating Lyon for the second time in a month.

He noted that it was regrettable that Lyon who flew the APC flag and won the Bayelsa governorship in the last election based on the goodwill of others could not defend the party in his Ward.

The next governorship election in Bayelsa has been scheduled for November 2023 ahead of the Feb. 14, 2024 handover date.

Erstwhile Bayelsa Governor-Elect, Chief David Lyon