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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Action Peoples Party (APP) candidate in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Ogege Kemelayefa, has said she is proud of the 14 votes she scored at the poll.
The total number of votes cast in the election was 300,072.
Kemelayefa, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, was among the 16 candidates that participated in the election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the incumbent governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Duoye Diri who polled 175,196 votes, as the winner of the election.
Diri’s closest challenger, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 110,108 votes while the Labour Party candidate, Eradiri Udengmobofa scored 905 votes to place third.
Kemelayefa, who was second to the last in the election, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said she was proud of her achievements.
“I’m not satisfied with the results. There were high rates of vote buying, rigging and results manipulation. There were so many things wrong with the process but for my 14 votes, I am very proud of them.
“You know why? I never paid a dime for those votes, I didn’t give anybody a dime to vote for me. These 14 people trust my vision for Bayelsa State.
“And talking about disappointment, yes I am very disappointed at the ruling party for impoverishing the people to the extent that all the people have to do is survive. So, they took that monies at the polling units because they have to survive. I’m disappointed at the ruling party that they don’t have the best interest of the people at heart and that for four years there was no development, power supply, industries, good road network given to the people,” she said.
Kemelayefa claimed that she saw voters selling their votes for N70,000, adding that she did her best during the election to enlighten the voters that “they are the kingmakers, and as such we do not need the king to come and give us money to install them.”
The APP candidate noted that her social contract with the people of the state was encapsulated in an eight-point agenda including decentralisation of development, infrastructure renaissance and building of at least two industries in each of the eight local government areas of the state.
Kemelayefa added that she had many “offers and temptations” to step down for the ruling party, but rejected them.
