The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa state, Douye Diri, as winner of the  State governorship election held on Saturday.

Diri, defeated Chief Timipre Sylva, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and sixteen others in the Saturday election.

Thelagostimes reports that the State Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Kuta Farouk, made the announcement at the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu Media Centre, INEC, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Diri won in six of the eight local government areas of the state while his closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timipre Sylva, won two LGAs.

According to Prof. Farouk, Gov. Diri, polled 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Timipre Sylva, who got 110,108 votes.

The total number of registered voters were 1,056,862, while accredited voters stood at 372,000.