Bayelsa Governorship Election: Diri To Open Defence At Tribunal Next Week

The state governorship tribunal in Abuja will hear the defense of Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo, next week.

Timipre Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for governor, is bringing a challenge against their reelection before the tribunal.

The disagreement arose from the results of the governorship election held on November 11, 2023, in which Diri was proclaimed the victor with 175,196 votes, defeating Sylva with 110,108 votes, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Sylva and the APC have petitioned the tribunal to challenge Diri’s victory because they are unhappy with the outcome.

The main focus of Sylva and the APC’s case is how elections were conducted in certain polling places across three local governments: Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Nembe. They claim that votes were not accounted for in these elections.

After calling four witnesses to bolster their case, the petitioners asked for an adjournment to collect more testimony.

The trial was slated to resume on Monday and Tuesday of the next week by the tribunal’s three-member panel, which is presided over by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, after the respondents raised no objections.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Diri, and Deputy Governor Ewhrujakpo are anticipated to begin their defense after the petitioners’ presentation, which would usher in the next stage of the tribunal’s review of the contested election results.