Supreme Court upholds Diri’s re-election as Bayelsa Governor

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the re-election of Sen. Douye Diri as the governor of Bayelsa.

The apex court in a judgment, dismissed the appeal brought before it by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC, Timipre Sylvia and his party.

The lead judgment delivered by Justice Garba Lawal, held that the appeal by Sylvia and APC was not only lacking merit but a gross abuse of court process.

The unanimous decision of the apex court upheld the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal and the Election Petition Tribunal.

Our correspondent reported that the Court of Appeal in Abuja had, on July 18, affirmed the re-election victory of Gov. Diri of Bayelsa in the Nov. 11, 2023 governorship poll.

The three-member panel of justices led by Justice James Abundaga, in a unanimous judgment, held that the appeal filed by the appellants; Mr Timipre Sylva and the All Progressives Congress (APC), lacked merit.

The panel held that the tribunal was not in error when it struck several paragraphs of the petitioner’s reply against the governor’s election.

It was reported that the election tribunal had, on May 27, dismissed the petition filed by Sylva and APC.

The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye-led, dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

In a unanimous decision, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to adduce credible evidence to substantiate their allegations against the outcome of the state’s governorship poll.

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.

According to the tribunal, the law expressly provided that an election petition must be filed no later than 21 days after the election result was declared.