***As APC Electoral Panel Chairman gives reasons for adopting direct primaries

The Bayelsa All Progressive Congress (APC) held a peaceful House of Representatives primaries across the various wards through direct primaries as party faithfuls came out in large numbers to vote for the preferred candidates.

In Sampou, where the Governor the Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, partook in the exercise, commended the peaceful process, saying that internal unity and cohesion were the strength of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Earlier on, the Chairman of Electoral Panel, Chief Solomon Ogba, said the party had decided to use the direct primary to give everybody will be given the chance to express themselves.

Speaking with Journalists, Ogba who flanked by all the members of the panel for Bayelsà State and security heads, said he was expecting a free and fair exercise has earlier been distributed across all the wards.

He said, “I am happy that all the relevant institutions associated with the conduct of this exercise are all here. Today, the committee has distributed the materials to all wards in the state.

“The All Progressive Congress has decided to rely on Section 84, Subsection 2 of the 2026 Electoral Act, which is the direct primary as requirement for this exercise.

“We have painstakingly selected people that will conduct the elections in all the wards and the federal constituencies for this exercise. They are people of proven integrity and we believe that we will discharge this responsibility fairly.”

Diri spoke shortly after the party’s House of Representatives primary election at his Sampou/Kalama Ward 6 in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area.

The exercise witnessed the endorsement by consensus of the incumbent Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Oforji Oboku, by 2,565 members of the party in the ward, including Governor Diri.

According to the governor, “in Bayelsa, we have been able to bring the APC together, and we are acting as one family. What you have witnessed is being replicated across the other four federal constituencies in the state. The leadership of the party has worked tirelessly to ensure unity, avoid division, and position the party for success in the forthcoming general election.”

The governor expressed satisfaction with reports from other constituencies, noting that the peaceful and orderly conduct of the primary in the ward was consistent with developments across the state.

He equally described the outcome of the primary as a clear demonstration of confidence in Oboku’s leadership and representation.

“There is only one aspirant, and that aspirant is the incumbent legislator representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency. This is clearly an endorsement of his aspirations. The turnout witnessed here reflected the overwhelming support for Oboku,” he said.

The APC Returning Officer for the ward, Hon. Fortune Panebi, after the exercise, announced that out of the 3,411 registered members of the party in the ward, 2,565 members voted and unanimously endorsed Oboku.

The Returning Officer duly returned him as the party’s candidate for the federal constituency.