- The court said Sylvia’s appeal was incompetent and lacking in merit.
- The appellate court also awarded N500,000 each as a cost in favour of the respondents.
A three-man panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, on Thursday, dismissed the appeal of the All Progressive Congress and its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva, seeking to set aside the Bayelsa governorship election Tribunal judgment.
The appellate court while delivering judgment in the appeal, upheld Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party re-election victory.
The court held that it found no reason to set aside the earlier judgment of the tribunal which refused to nullify the outcome of the governorship poll held in the state on November 11, 2023.
The court dismissed Sylvia’s appeal for being incompetent and lacking in merit.
The appellate court also awarded N500,000 each as a cost in favour of the respondents.
In its decision on May 27, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to adduce credible evidence to substantiate any of the allegations they raised against the outcome of the Bayelsa poll.
The tribunal struck out all the additional evidence as well as statements on oath of some of the petitioners’ witnesses for being incompetent.
The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to file their additional proof of evidence within the 21 days allowed by law.
The tribunal dismissed the allegation that Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Bayelsa deputy governor, tendered a forged university degree and NYSC exemption certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It held that the allegation was a pre-election matter that ought to be litigated before the federal high court.
The tribunal also noted that the issue of Ewhrudjakpo’s educational qualification has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction