A sitting Senator, Douye Diri, representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, is the flag-bearer of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
But in Kogi State, party chiefains are considering the option of a rerun or choosing a consensus candidate after its primary election ended abruptly in the early hours of Wednesday when gunmen invaded the venue of the election, Lokoja Confluence Stadium.
Governor Yahaya Bello has already emerged All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November election.
The PDP must produce a candidate within the next 48 hours. National spokesman, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, was not picking calls to his number, but said in a text message in response to a question whether the PDP is considering a rerun or choosing a consensus candidate after this morning anti-climax: “we are awaiting (a) decision.”
It is believed that the younger brother of former Kogi Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, Engineer Musa Wada, was in the lead against his elder brother (Idris Wada), brother-in-law when the gunmen struck. Accusing fingers are being pointed in the direction of the opposition for the disruption or one of those losing. One analyst said the speed with which the ruling party in the State issued a statement early Wednesday was suspicious.
Eng. Wada is also the son-in-law of former Kogi Governor, IIbrahim Idris, (popularly called Ibro) whose son was also in the primary election. Eng. Wada Is married to the first daughter of Idris.
Meanwhile, voting had ended and sorting of votes was on-going when the gunmen came to the venue at about 1:45 a.m. and started shooting from different directions.
According to report, votes in eight out of the 10 ballot balloxes had already been counted and sorted out before the disruption by the gunmen.
Aspirants, delegates and others scampered for safety while the number of casualty has yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee escaped the bullets of the gunmen.
There were allegations that the PDP in the State was rooting for the younger Wada, against his elder brother so as to keep the other former Governor, Ibro, within the party as he is not likely to abandon the husband of his daughter.
There were also allegations that money played a prominent role.
In Bayelsa, of the the 1,244 accredited voters, Diri, who belongs to Governor Seriake Dickson’s Restoration Group, scored 561 votes to defeat his former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, who polled 365 votes and
Keniebi Okoko, a businessman who had 142 votes in the election.
21 persons contested the elections.
The Returning Officer and Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishiaku, declared Diri winner adding that he satisfied all conditions contained in the constitution of the PDP having scored the highest number of the vote cast.
Accredited delegates according to their local government areas showed that 196 were from Southern Ijaw; 169, Yenagoa; 164, Sagbama and 150, Ogbia.
Others were Nembe, 151; Ekeremor, 148; Kolokuma-Opokuma, 141 and Brass 125.
Additional reports by NAN