Tobias Sylvester
Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Petition Tribunal has nullified the election of Duoye Diri as governor of Bayelsa State.
The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
The election was nullified based on a petition filed by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), which argued that it was unlawfully excluded from participating in the election.
The ANDP had through its governorship candidate, King Lucky George, and National Chairman, Charles Ogboli, approached the tribunal seeking the nullification of the November 19, 2019 governorship election.
The party demanded an order for fresh election on the grounds that its name and logo were excluded from the ballot papers used for the election.
The counsel to the party, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), told the tribunal that INEC witnessed and monitored its governorship primary and that it was curious and unacceptable that the electoral body later excluded it from the election.
The counsel to INEC, Ibrahim Bawa (SAN), told the tribunal that after examining the evidence tabled by the petitioners, the commission preferred not to call any witness.
Delivering judgment on Monday, August 17, 2029, the panel led by Justice Yunusa Musa ruled that the election was unlawful due to the exclusion of ANDP and its candidate.
Justice Musa also ordered the INEC to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa within 90 days.
Diri’s nullification came two days after a three-member panel of the tribunal dismissed three petitions challenging his election as governor.
KanyiDaily recalls that Diri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was sworn in as governor after the Supreme Court sacked David Lyon, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, as governor-elect 24 hours before his inauguration in February.
