INEC adjourns collation of Bayelsa guber results till Monday

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has adjourned the collation of governorship election results in Bayelsa state till 12 p.m. on Monday.

Results from two LGAs – Brass and southern Ijaw – are yet to be collated.

Announcing the development to party agents, election observers and journalists at the collation centre on Sunday, Wilfred Ifogah, head of INEC voters’ registration in Bayelsa, said there are challenges in the collation of  results of some polling units and wards of the two LGAs.

Kuta Farouq, the state returning officer, had previously adjourned the exercise and said it would resume at 6 p.m.

Earlier, the All Progressives Congress (APC) that alleged there was an attempt to manipulate the election results of Brass LGA in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement, Felix Morka, spokesperson of the APC, said INEC has come under pressure from the PDP and Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa.

Morka said Brass is a stronghold of the APC and Timipre Sylva, its governorship candidate in the state.

In another development, INEC said some of its officials were held hostage in Brass LGA.

The commission, in a statement, said it was closely monitoring the situation, adding that the development was detrimental to credible elections.

The commission also called on security agencies to immediately facilitate the release of the officials.