Supreme Court upholds Diri’s re-election as Bayelsa state governor
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the re-election of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State after dismissing the appeal by TImiipre Sylva and the All Progressives Congress (APC) under banner he contested
Penpushing reports that in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Garba Lawal, the court held that the appeal by Sylvia and his party was not only lacking merit but also amounted to a gross abuse of court process.
The panel unanimous decision upheld the earlier decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and pronounced Diri, the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as duly elected.
Penpushing further reports that it is recalled that the Court of Appeal in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had, on July 18, , affirmed the re-election victory of Governor Diri of Bayelsa State in the November 11, 2023 Governorship poll.
The three-member panel of Justices led by Justice James Abundaga, held in its unanimous judgement that the appeal filed by the appellants; Sylva and the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacked merit, and also held that the tribunal was not in error when it struck out several paragraphs of the petitioner’s reply against the governor’s election.
Penpushing also reports that three-member tribunal, led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye had, on May 27, dismissed the petition filed by Sylva and All Progressives Congress (APC) for lacking in merit and that the petitioners failed to adduce credible evidence to substantiate their allegations against the outcome of the state’s Governorship poll.
The tribunal It struck out all the additional proof of evidence and statements on oath of some of the witnesses who testified for the petitioners as incompetent, adding that the law expressly provided that an election petition must be filed no later than 21 days after the election result was declared.
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