By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa—Protest votes against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Saturday’s rescheduled Bayelsa State House of Assembly election led to the emergence of the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Ebiye Tarabina, in Kolokuma/Opokuma constituency II.

Tarabina, according to the result declared Saturday night by the Returning Officer, Dr. E. Roselyn,   defeated the PDP candidate, Ongore Ebikeme with 3,962 votes. Ongore of the PDP scored 3,182 votes.

PDP loyalists had in an earlier statement claimed that the party was already cruising to victory in the rescheduled House of Assembly polls in Sagbama, Southern Ijaw and Kolokuma-Opokuma constituencies.

According to PDP agents, the APGA candidates were allegedly sponsored by First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and Waripamowei Dudafa and were roundly defeated at the polls despite their undue interference and manipulation of the process.

One of the aides of the accused Dudafa, Bebetimi Dasuo, dismissed the allegation of manipulation as false.

He said: “We are all out to vote for the person not the party. The people of constituency II believed strongly in the victorious candidate and used their votes to protest against imposition. My boss stayed away because he does not want to be accused of manipulation.”