The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the re-election victory of Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa in the November 11, 2023, governorship poll. The three-member panel of justices, led by Justice James Abundaga, unanimously held that the appeal filed by Timipre Sylva and the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacked merit.
The panel ruled that the Bayelsa Governorship Election Tribunal was not in error when it struck several paragraphs of the petitioner’s reply against the governor’s election. It was deemed that the appellants’ witnesses’ statements on oath were rightfully struck out as they were hearsay and could not be relied upon. The court also noted that it had not been shown that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines were tendered as evidence to prove allegations of electoral malpractice.
As a result, the appeal was dismissed for being unmeritorious, and a cost of ₦500,000 was awarded against Sylva and the APC. This decision upholds the tribunal’s earlier dismissal of the petition on May 27, which found the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to support their allegations against the election outcome.