Appeal Court affirms Diri’s re-election as Bayelsa Governor

By Vivian Michael, Abuja The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, Thursday, affirmed the re-election of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State. The judgement described the appeal brought before it by the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, as incompetent and abuse of court process. The appellate court, had in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices lead by Justice James Abunduga, said it found no reason to dislodge the earlier judgement 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, had 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. The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to adduce any credible evidence to substantiate any of the allegations they raised against the outcome of the governorship poll. It struck out as incompetent, all the additional proof of evidence, as well as statements on oath of some of the witnesses that testified for the petitioners. The court below maintained that the law expressly provided that an election petition must be filed no later than 21 days after the result of an election was declared. It held that such petition must, at the time it was filed, be accompanied by written statements of all the intended witnesses. The tribunal held that the decision of Sylva and his party to file their additional proof of evidence and statement on oath of witnesses, long after they had filed the petition, was “tantamount to a surreptitious attempt to amend the case of the petitioners.” The tribunal noted that whereas Sylva and his party prayed it to declare that they were the valid winners of the governorship election, they equally applied for the same election to be declared invalid. It held that prayers of the petitioners were contradictory, adding that Sylva and APC did not tender any electoral material to show that any irregularity occurred during the election. It held that the petitioners were unable to discharge the burden of proof that was placed on them by the law, stressing that they failed to show, polling units by polling units, the particulars of the non compliance they alleged and how it substantially affected the outcome of the election.

Bayelsa Guber: Tribunal reserves judgment in petition against Diri

The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has reserved judgment in a petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylvia against the declaration of Douye Diri as the governor of the state in the November 2023 election. Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, on Monday in Abuja, announced that the judgment would be delivered within the 180 days statutorily allowed by law. The chairman said that all the parties in the petition would be communicated as soon as the judgment delivery date is fixed. At Monday’s proceedings, the petitioners, Sylvia and APC, adopted their final written address, praying the tribunal to annul the declaration of Diri as the winner of the election. Their lead counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, told the tribunal that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, embarked on wrongful exclusion of results before arriving at the declaration of Diri as winner. The petitioners’ lawyer stated that the electoral body did not debunk the allegation of wrongful exclusion of results by not calling the state election result collation officer to testify. He therefore urged the tribunal to objectively decide the petition on the strength of the evidence adduced by the petitioners, especially because INEC did not call a single witness to challenge all the allegations. However, Diri’s counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, informed the tribunal that the petition by Sylvia died on arrival because it is grossly deficient in quantity and quality of evidence. He said that the petition was baseless, frivolous and vexatious, and grossly lacking in merit because the two petitioners did not discharge the burden placed on them by law Among others, Uche said that Sylva predicated his petition on alleged refusal of INEC to collate results in three local governments areas- Southern Ijaw, Nembe and Ogbia but failed to call a single collation officer to back up its claim Besides, Uche said that Sylvia did not tender voter register, BVAS machines, and form EC8A used for the purported election in the three local governments to establish his allegations. The senior lawyer also said that the petitioner himself, despite having a witness statement on oath, refused to give evidence before the tribunal to substantiate his allegations. The senior lawyer also said that the petitioner himself, despite having a witness statement on oath, refused to give evidence before the tribunal to substantiate his allegations. Uche pleaded with the tribunal to discountenance the evidence of a former Police Commissioner in the state on the ground that the police officer admitted before the tribunal that he had issues with Diri when the Prado Jeep earlier given to him was withdrawn. Uche also urged the tribunal not to invoke the spirit of the judgment that brought Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, into office, adding that INEC has established beyond doubt that election did not hold in the three local governments due to resistance by some hoodlums to the use of BVAS machines. Similarly, INEC, represented by Charles Edosomwan, SAN, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, represented by Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, canvassed for dismissal of the petition on the ground that the two petitioners failed and neglected to discharge the burden of establishing their allegations against the election beyond reasonable doubt as required by law. They asserted that they did not call witnesses because the witnesses of petitioners killed and buried the petition while being cross examined during the proceedings. It will be recalled that INEC had declared Diri winner of the gubernatorial election on the ground that he scored the majority of lawful votes cast in the poll.

Bayelsa Guber Poll: Diri Sets For Victory, Wins Southern Ijaw LGA

Governor Douye Diri secured victory in the ongoing collation of Bayelsa governorship election results, specifically winning Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. As the collation centre took a break around 1:00 pm, the state Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, resumed the process at approximately 2:20 pm in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Diri, demonstrated a strong performance in Southern Ijaw, garnering 24,685 votes. In contrast, his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), received 18,174 votes. The Labour Party (LP) secured the third position with 119 votes out of the 50,153 accredited voters in the local government area. These recent results solidify Diri’s lead, as he has now won in six out of the eight local government areas in Bayelsa, while Sylva secured victories in two. Sylva’s wins include Brass Local Government Area, where he polled 18,431 votes compared to Diri’s 12,602. Additionally, the APC triumphed in Nembe LGA, securing 22,248 votes, while Diri received 4,556 votes in that locality. The overall outcome of the election continues to unfold, shaping the political landscape of the oil-rich state. See Bayelsa Governorship Results By LGA: Southern Ijaw LGA APC: 18,174 LP: 119 PDP: 24,685 Brass LGA APC – 18,431 LP – 83 PDP – 12,602 Sagbama LGA APC – 6,608 LP – 217 PDP – 35,504 Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA APC – 5,349 LP – 22 PDP – 18,465 Ogbia LGA APC – 16,319 LP – 57 PDP – 18,435 Yenegoa LGA APC – 14,534 LP – 244 PDP – 37,777 Nembe LGA APC – 22,248 LP – 113 PDP – 4,556 Ekeremor LGA APC – 8,445 LP – 50 PDP – 23,172

Diri Secures Second Term, Defeats Sylva in Bayelsa Governorship Election

Governor Douye Diri has successfully secured a second term in office, emerging as the winner of the fiercely contested Bayelsa governorship election. The Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, declared Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the winner after a prolonged process with multiple breaks and adjournments. Diri garnered a total of 175,196 votes, defeating his main rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 110,108 votes. The victory margin for the PDP candidate was significant, with 65,088 votes ahead. The Labour Party (LP) secured a distant third place with a total of 905 votes. In a field of 18 candidates, Sylva was Diri’s primary contender, seeking to return as the governor for a third term. However, a month before the election, a Federal High Court in Abuja initially disqualified Sylva, citing constitutional limits on the number of terms served. Although the APC candidate challenged the decision and won an appeal, the 2023 election concluded with victory for Diri. The election results mark a decisive moment for Diri, who first assumed office in 2020. The PDP mobilized support in the face of legal challenges, including Sylva’s temporary disqualification, to secure a notable win in the oil-rich state.