By Emma Ogbuehi
There is no cause for alarm in Bayelsa, even with the dismissal of the election of Governor Douye Diri, by the State Elections Petitions Tribunal, on Monday, August 17. If anything, the governor has appealed the judgement. These were the declarations of the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Daniel Alabra, in an encounter with our correspondent. According to Alabra, the Tribunal judgement has not in any way, affected the governor’s respect for the judiciary, stressing that there is nothing to worry about.
The Tribunal had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to order a fresh election within 90 days. The verdict followed the petition by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) challenging the victory of Governor Diri in the November 19 governorship election. The ANDP claimed that the party was wrongfully excluded from the election.
INEC in its argument said that the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate was 34 years old as at the time of nomination and therefore did not qualify to contest the election.
ANDP told Justice Yunusa Musa who is delivering the lead judgment that its initial Deputy Governorship Candidate, David Esinkuma was duly substituted by the Party within the allowed time frame, following the notification from INEC that he’s under-age.
Justice Musa in his response said that INEC had no power to disqualify any candidate and insists that the petition of the ANDP stands.
He added that only a court has the power to disqualify any candidate for any election and that the petition was filed within the 21 days which is the stipulated time for petitions to be filed.
Justice Musa described the action of INEC to exclude the ANDP from the Bayelsa Governorship Election as illegality. The Tribunal consequently nullified the election of Governor Douye Diri. INEC was ordered to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa state within the next 90 days.
INEC is also expected to include the ANDP in the Election.
Three days ago, the Tribunal had dismissed two petitions challenging the victory of Governor Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. The petitions were filed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the United Peoples Congress (UPC). The Tribunal’s three-man panel held that the petitioners failed to prove their cases.
