BAYELSA 2023: Sylva Defeats Lyon, Emerges Bayelsa APC Gubernatorial Candidate

The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate for Bayelsa State.

Sylva, a former Bayelsa State Governor, polled 52,061 votes to defeat five other contenders to win the governorship ticket at the party’s primary election conducted on Friday and Saturday.

The APC adopted the direct mode electoral system to hold the exercise in the 105 wards and eight local government areas of the state.

A former militant leader, Joshua Macaiver, scored 2,078 votes to come second, while a former governor-elect on the platform of the APC in Bayelsa, David Lyon came third with 1,584 votes.

Also, Prof. Ongoebi Etebu scored 1,277 votes; Isikima Johnson 584 votes; and Festus Daumiebi polled 557 votes.

The chairman of the APC primary election committee for Bayelsa, Major General Ahmed Jibrin (retd.), declared Sylva as the winner of the exercise at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa on Saturday.

He said, “With this result, Timipre Marlin Sylva, having scored the highest number of votes cast is hereby declared as the winner.

“By the power conferred on me by the APC National Working Committee, I declare Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva as the winner of this election.”