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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A survey on the gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State has again indicated that Governor Douye Diri will win in the eight local government areas.
The survey conducted across 211 communities randomly selected from the 24 state constituencies administered questionnaire to 2,400 respondents who confirmed to have their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) and intend to cast their votes in the November 11 election. One hundred persons were selected in each of the constituency for the survey of samples drawn from men, women and youths while 24 opinion leaders were also interviewed across the constituencies.
The opinion poll initiated by the Bayelsa Government New Media Team was conducted by a team of six researchers and 50 research assistants for two months covering the period of June and July, 2023.
The poll was narrowed to the three supposedly major contenders – Governor Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former governor and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Udengs Eradiri of the Labour Party (LP).
Results derived from experts’ analysis of the field report indicates that Diri is expected to return the highest votes from his home Local Government Area, Kolokuma/Opokuma.
Eighty-eight per cent of the respondents said they would vote for the incumbent, five per cent osaid they would vote for Sylva, four percent for Eradiri while three per cent are undecided.
The next appreciable result was from Sagbama, home local government area of former governor and senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, where 77 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Diri as against 10 per cent which indicated willingness to vote for Sylva.
In Ekeremor Local Government Area, 72 per cent respondents said they would vote for Diri while 11 per cent would vote for Sylva.
The survey report indicated that Diri is expected to win massively even in local government areas believed to have opposed him in the 2019 guber election. The survey clearly puts the incumbent Governor Diri ahead in Nembe with 70 per cent, Brass (62 per cent), Ogbia (66 per cent), Southern Ijaw (63 per cent) and the state capital, Yenagoa LGA (70 per cent).
Sylva of APC is expected to have his highest votes of 33 per cent from his home LGA of Brass followed by Yenagoa where only 26 per cent of respondents said they would vote for him.
The survey report did not give Eradiri any chance, as only eight per cent respondents in Yenagoa LGA, said they would vote for him, despite being his home LGA.
Director, New Media, Dr. Kola Oredipe, who commissioned the experts to carry out the survey said he stood by the poll result and believes the outcome reflected the reality among prospective voters in Bayelsa State come November 11, 2023.
