The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the National Judicial Institute Abuja, on Monday, affirmed Douye Diri as the winner of the Bayelsa state governorship election held on November 11, 2023.
This followed the dismissal of the petition by candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the election, Timipre Sylva, seeking the removal of Governor Diri from office.
Delivering judgement on APC and Sylva’s petition, Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye held that the petitioners were unable to prove the allegations of electoral fraud and wrongful exclusion of votes made against Governor Diri and the Peoples Democratic Party.
It was the contention of the Tribunal that from the totality of evidence adduced by the petitioners, 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.
The Tribunal reasoned with Diri’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN) that the petition by Sylva was dead on arrival and was grossly deficient in quantity and quality of evidence.
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