The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the re-election of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa state.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the re-election of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa state.
In a judgment on Monday, May 27, Justice Adekunle Adeleye-led three-member tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Diri winner of the election after polling 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva of the APC who scored 110,108 votes.
Dissatisfied, Sylva and the APC approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration of Diri as the winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
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Sylva and the APC contended that elections were held in some polling units in three local governments of Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Nembe where INEC and the other respondents claimed there was no election.
The petitioners argued that including the results from these local governments in their score would make them victorious in the election.
They urged the tribunal to hold that election held in the said polling units across three local governments and declared them the winner
But in a unanimous decision, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to adduce credible evidence to establish any of the allegations they raised against the outcome of the Bayelsa state governorship poll.
It struck out all the additional proof of evidence as well as statements on oath of some of the witnesses that testified for the petitioners.