By Akinsuroju Olubunmi
Diri’s defence set to commence at Bayelsa petition tribunal
Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, along with his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo, is poised to begin their defence next week in front of the state governorship tribunal seated in Abuja.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the governorship election, Timipre Sylva, are contesting the re-election of the governor and his deputy.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Diri the winner of the election after securing 175,196 votes, surpassing his closest rival, Sylva of the APC, who garnered 110,108 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Sylva and the APC approached the tribunal to contest the declaration of Diri as the winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Sylva and the APC argue that elections were conducted in some polling units across three local governments of Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Nembe, where INEC and other respondents purportedly stated there was no election.
The petitioners claim that including the results from these local governments in their tally would declare them as the victors of the election. They urge the tribunal to acknowledge that elections took place in the said polling units across the three local governments and declare them the winners.
During the opening of the petition hearing on February 14, 2024, INEC presented evidence to the tribunal to support its assertion that voting did not occur due to the alleged diversion of materials and disruption of the electoral process, citing the alleged bypass of the BVAS machine.
However, on Thursday, after presenting four witnesses, the petitioners requested an adjournment to allow them to summon more witnesses to substantiate their case.
Since the respondents did not oppose the request for adjournment, the Chairman of the three-member panel of the Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, announced Monday and Tuesday of the following week for the continuation of the trial.
The petitioners are anticipated to conclude their case next week, following which the governor, his deputy, and the PDP will present their defence.
Petition, Tribunal