By Abiola Olawale
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division on Thursday struck out the appeal of the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, challenging the electoral victory of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.
A three-man panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, in its ruling on Thursday held that Sylva failed to give a valid reason for it to overturn the judgment of the tribunal which upheld the re-election victory of Diri who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The court dismissed Sylva’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.
The New Diplomat reports that the tribunal had in its judgment delivered on May 17, 2024, in Abuja, upheld the election victory and return of Diri and his deputy.
The tribunal’s three-man panel led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, dismissed Sylva and APC’s petition for lacking in merit.
The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to provide any credible evidence to back up any of the allegations they raised against the re-election victory of Diri.
Dissatisfied with the judgment of the tribunal, Sylva then approached the court to set aside the judgment.
