Bayelsa Election: APC's Sylva Pays Visit to PDP's Diri? Fact Emerges

Bayelsa Election: APC's Sylva Pays Visit to PDP's Diri? Fact Emerges

  • The claim that Timipre Sylva, the APC candidate in the Bayelsa governorship election, visited Governor Douye Diri after his loss at the poll is false
  • Governor Diri, the candidate of the PDP in the election, was seen in the video having a handshake with the former minister
  • The caption on the video claimed that the APC candidate made a congratulatory visit to the governor, but a search showed the video was first uploaded online six months before the election

Legit.ng journalist Bada Yusuf is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.

Yenagoa, Bayelsa - Timipre Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded governorship election in Bayelsa state, has been seen in a video shaking hands with Douye Diri, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll.

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3 reasons APC's Timipre Sylva lost the Bayelsa 2023 governorship election

Persons who shared the video on social media claimed that the APC candidate was congratulating the governor who defeated him in the Saturday, November 11 election.

Douye Diri/Timipre Sylva/APC/PDP/Bayelsa Governorship election
Claim that Sylva paid congratulatory visit to Diri is false Photo Credit: Douye Diri, Timipre Sylva
Source: Twitter

Diri defeated Sylva in Bayelsa governorship election

Recall that Sylva, who garnered 110,108 votes in the election, lost to Diri, the governor of the state who was re-elected with 175,196 votes.

The video has been gaining reactions on social media after the claim, generating more views and engagements, particularly on Twitter.

A Twitter user captioned the video:

“Chief Timipre Sylva, the candidate of APC, pays congratulatory visit to Governor Douye Diri of PDP. Pls do not die in their war. Imagine those who lost their lives for nothing. Really sad.”

See the video here:

Source of the video where Sylva visited Diri

Read also

Bayelsa governorship election: Jonathan reacts as INEC declares Gov Diri winner

After conducting a thorough reverse image search on the alleged congratulatory video, it revealed a TikTok account with the username GbaramatuVoiceTV.

The GbaramatuVoiceTV had posted the video on May 2023, six months before the Bayelsa state governorship election.

According to the GbaramatuVoiceTV, “HE Timipre Sylva attends HE Douye Diri’s father’s burial in Sampou.”

This then revealed that the video was old and was never about the election.

New twist as Tinubu's aide congratulates PDP Diri

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu's aide, Bayo Onanuga, has congratulated Governor Douye Diri, for being re-elected as the Bayelsa state governorship election.

Onanuga's congratulatory message came shortly after Diri was declared the winner of the election by the INEC returning officer in the state.

Diri, a PDP candidate in the election, defeated his closest rival and an APC candidate, Timipre Sylva, in the poll.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Bada Yusuf avatar

Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng