By Citizenship Daily
The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal contesting his election by Timipriye Sylva and All progressives Congress APC in the Bayelsa gubernatorial poll.
The respondents, represented by Chris Uche SAN, maintained that the appeal was devoid of merit and should be dismissed in its entirety as no witness or documents supported his request being made at the court.
In the same vein, counsel to the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Tayo Oyetibo SAN and counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC represented by Charles Edoshomwan, also asked the Apex court to dismiss the appeal.
In his response, counsel to the petitioner, Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, asked the court to set aside the judgments of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition and the Court of Appeal which had earlier dismissed his petition.
Specifically, the former governor wants the court to invalidate the declaration of Diri by INEC as winner of the gubernatorial poll and declare him as the lawful winner of the election.
The five-man panel of justices led by Justice Garba Lawal, after taking submissions of the parties, reserved judgment to a later date.
On July 28, the Court of Appeal affirmed the re-election of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.
The judgment described the appeal brought before it by the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva as incompetent and an abuse of the court process.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices led by Justice James Abunduga said it found no reason to dislodge the earlier judgment of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
It held that the court below was right when it declined to nullify the outcome of the gubernatorial poll that was held in the state on November 11, 2023.
The Bayelsa Governorship petition tribunal, on May 27, led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, dismissed as lacking in merit the petition that was filed against governor Diri’s re-election by the APC and its candidate.
