Bayelsa Gov. poll: Supreme Court reserves judgement in Sylva’s appeal to later date
By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
The five-member Justices of the Supreme Court, on Monday, reserved judgement in the appeal filed by Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November. 11 governorship election in Bayelsa.
The panel of justices, headed by Justice Garba Lawal, adjourned the judgement to a later date which would be communicated to parties. The adjournment followed the adoption of the processes by counsel in the appeal.
Earlier, counsel to Sylva, Onyechi Ikpeazu, (SAN), prayed the Justices to set aside the judgements of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal which had earlier dismissed their petition.
Ikpeazu asked the Apex Court to invalidate the declaration of Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as winner of the poll and declare Sylva as the lawful winner of the election.
In his submission, Chris Uche (SAN), who appeared for Diri, urged the court to dismiss the appeal brought against his client. Uche insisted that Sylva’s appeal was terribly bad beyond redemption as no witness or documents supported his request being made at the court.
He maintained that the appeal was devoid of merit and should be dismissed in its entirety.
INEC, represented by Charles Edoshomwan, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented by Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), all supported Uche’s call for the dismissal of the appeal for want of merit.
The panel, thereafter, reserved judgement in the appeal to a later date.
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