Live Updates
The Bayelsa State governorship election holds today, December 5.
The election will be conducted in the eight local government areas of the state.
According to the independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, 20 political parties are fielding candidates in the election.
However, analysts say the contest is between the candidates of two parties, namely the incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party and a former governor of the state, Timpre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress.
The new governor, the 5th since 1999, will assume office in February 2016.
The oil-rich Bayelsa State has three senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, 24 state constituencies, eight local government areas and 105 Wards.
There are 663,748 registered voters in the state. They are expected to vote in 1,806 Polling Units spread across the local government areas.
The breakdown based on gender distribution shows that men constitute 54 per cent while women make up 46 percent of the voting population.
The occupation distribution includes 250 students, 120,000 fishermen, 80,000 farmers, 70,000 civil servants and 10,000 housewives.
Already, the INEC has accredited 50 observer groups to observe the election out of which 43 are domestic and seven foreign.
Cchat212 FM Reporter is in Bayelsa and would bring live updates of the poll.
Live Blog
00.01
INEC Public Relations Officer, Ernest Timidi informed Chat212 that all the election materials have been safely transported - from INEC headquarters in Yenagoa - to the different local government areas across the states, from where they will be distributed in the morning to the polling units in the wards.
21.55
50 local and foreign observers groups are said to have been accredited by INEC for the election. Women Arise has 146 observers, said to be the highest.
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Bayelsa State has eight local government areas, 105 Wards and 1,806 polling units.
21.53
The total number of voters registered by INEC for the governorship election in Bayelsa is 663,748 (six hundred and sixty-three thousand, seven hundred and forty-eight), INEC Public Relations Officer, Ernest Timidi told PREMIUM TIMES.
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20 candidates are contesting for governorship election in Bayelsa State. The parties are (1.) ACPN, (2.) ADC, (3)APA, (4) APC, (5) APGA, (6.) CPP, (7) DPC, (8) DPP (9) ID (10) KOWA (11) LP (12) MPPP (13) NNPP (14) PDC (15) PDM (16) PDP (17) PPA (18) PPN (19) SDP (20) UPP.
