The election that saw Senator Duoye Diri emerging as the Bayelsa State Governor has been canceled.
The election was canceled by the state’s Governorship Election Tribunal following a petition by King George, a candidate of the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP).
George had asked the tribunal to cancel the election because he was excluded from the November 16, 2019 governorship poll.
This follows the Saturday, August 15, judgment of a three-man panel of the tribunal which dismissed three petitions challenging Diri’s election. The petitions were dismissed on the grounds of incompetence and lacking in merit
However, while delivering judgment on another petition on Monday, the panel held that the election was unlawful due to the exclusion of ANDP and its candidate,.
Yunusa Musa, the judge who read the judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa within 90 days.
Diri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was sworn in as governor after the supreme court sacked David Lyon as governor-elect 24 hours before his inauguration.
The apex court based its rulings on the premise that Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo, running mate of the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), presented forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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