TheCable

The minority caucus in the house of representatives has congratulated Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa state, on his re-election.

Diri won the poll after scoring 175,196 votes to defeat his close challenger Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 110,108 votes.

The off-cycle governorship election in Bayelsa was one of the three conducted by INEC on Saturday — the others were in Kogi and Imo states.

In a statement on Monday, Ali Isa, minority whip in the lower legislative chamber, said the people of Bayelsa support “progressive ideals that the governor embodies”.

“Indeed, his resounding victory is a tacit acknowledgement by Bayelsa state voters of his outstanding achievements in serving the needs of the people in the last four years,” Isa, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, said.

“It also shows that they have chosen to support the peace and stability of their state over the alternative of rancour and instability, which some of his opponents represent.

“As such, I wish to, on behalf of myself, family and the entire minority caucus of the House of Representatives, congratulate His Excellency Senator Diri Douye on this merited victory.

“It is my firm belief that the governor will see the renewal of his mandate by the people as a solemn call to more excellent service, and I have no doubt that these people who resisted all manner of intimidations and harassment of all kinds to vote for him will not be betrayed and neither will their trust be broken.”

The whip commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies for ensuring that the election was held in a conducive atmosphere.