Tribunal Upholds Governor Douye Diri’s Re-Election, Dismisses Timipre Sylva’s Petition
The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has affirmed Governor Douye Diri’s victory in the state’s election.
The tribunal, led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, rejected the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Timipre Sylva.
In a unanimous decision, the tribunal stated that the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to support their claims against the election results. The additional evidence and witness statements submitted by the petitioners were deemed incompetent as they were filed after the deadline.
Furthermore, the tribunal dismissed the allegation that the deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, presented forged educational certificates to INEC, noting that this was a pre-election issue that should have been addressed in the Federal High Court.
The tribunal also highlighted that Sylva and the APC’s demands for both their victory and the annulment of the election were contradictory, and they did not provide any electoral material to substantiate their claims of irregularities.
Justice Adeleye emphasized that the petitioners did not meet the burden of proof required by law, as they failed to demonstrate how the alleged non-compliance impacted the election outcome.
The tribunal upheld the respondents’ objections challenging the competence of the election petition.
