BY PHILIP EKE, YENAGOA

Chief David Lyon has emerged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 16 Bayelsa State election.

Lyon polled 42,138 votes to defeat five other aspirants in the PRIMARY election of the party conducted on Wednesday by the APC Bayelsa State Governorship Primary Election Committee chaired by Yobe State Governor, Mai-Mala Buni.

The Collation Officer, Senator Emmanuel Ocheja, announced that Mrs Desiye Nsirim came second with 1,533, while Chief Ebitimi Amgbare came third with 633 votes.

Immediate past Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, polled 571 votes to come fourth, while Prof Ongoebi Etebu and Prince Preye Aganaba got 564 and 354 votes respectively.

Senator Ocheja, who was flanked by the other national and state officers of the party, said he was standing in for the Returning Officer whom, according to him, was unavoidable absent.

He stated that the mode of the primaries was ‘Direct Primaries’ ‘Option A-4’ adopted by the state stakeholders and leaders of the party in the state and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

Chief David Lyon appreciates delegates in voting him massively, stressing that he will never disappoint them in the development of the state when elected in the November governorship election slated.