The Supreme Court has affirmed the re-election of Bayelsa State governor Duoye Diri after dismissing the appeal of Timipre Sylva, candidate of the APC, in the November 11 off-cycle election.
In the judgment, the five-member Apex Court panel headed by Justice Lawal Garba, affirmed the Court of Appeal decision of 15 July which deemed Sylva's appeal an abuse of Court process for filing two notices of appeal.
Citing a section of the 1999 Constitution, the Apex Court panel held that the APC Governorship candidate has only one right to appeal the judgment of the Tribunal and not multiple. The Court therefore faulted the APC Governorship candidate who filed two notices of appeal to the Appellate Court.
In a unanimous judgment the appeal was therefore dismissed by the Supreme Court for lacking merit.
The Electoral body, INEC had declared that governor Diri of the PDP garnered a total of 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva of the APC who polled 110,108 votes.
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