The primary held yesterday had no other contestant, in line with the PDP rule of the incumbent being entitled to the right of first refusal.

Diri clinched the ticket with a total of 305 votes as the sole aspirant of the party out of 313 votes cast during the primary, which took place at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa.

Addressing the delegates and party stakeholders, the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel and governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, said the nominee, having satisfied the statutory requirements of the primary, was declared the winner.

In his acceptance speech, Diri expressed gratitude to the delegates and the party for giving him the ticket to contest for a second term in office.

The senator-elect for Bayelsa Central, Kombowei Benson, who is also a former speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, applauded the process.

In a related development, the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the Imo State governorship election also to be held on November 11.

The state chapter of the PDP yesterday named Anyanwu as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

Anyanwu will go toe-to-toe into the governorship race with Governor Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The Imo State gubernatorial election is an off-cycle poll that is slated for Saturday, November 11.

Anyanwu’s victory was announced after the conclusion of the party’s primary election yesterday at the PDP secretariat in Owerri, the state capital.

The Imo State governorship election is one of the off-cycle polls that would be conducted alongside those of Kogi and Bayelsa states.

PDP organising secretary, Lawrence Biado, disclosed that a seven-man electoral panel was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the formation of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) under the stewardship of Kenneth Okon, who was on the ground to monitor the primary election exercise.

Before the commencement of the primary election, a former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, pulled out of the governorship race.

Anyanwu is now expected to challenge the re-election of Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All-Progressives Congress (APC).

In January 2020, the Supreme Court sacked Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State after barely seven months in office.