Bayelsa Guber: Appeal Court Reserves Judgment In Appeals By Diri, PDP, INEC, Others

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved till a later date its judgments in six appeals filed against the verdicts of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

The judgments were delivered on June 15 and 17, 2020, on the outcome of the last governorship election in the state.

In one of its decisions on June 17, 2020, the tribunal, in a split judgment of two-to-one, upheld the petition by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) and sacked Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

After hearing the appeals on Thursday, a five-man panel of the Appeal Court, led by Justice Adzira Gana Mshella, said the court would inform parties about the date of the delivery of judgments.

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Seven appeals were originally slated for hearing yesterday, but the court adjourned hearing till today in the one filed by Ebizimo Diriyau (of Accord Party), on realising that hearing notice was not served on the lawyer to the first respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The appeals heard included those filed by Diri; the PDP; INEC; Ibiene Stephen; Owei Tongu Woniwei; and Vijah Elder Opuama.

Diri, the PDP and INEC, in their appeals, want the court to set aside the majority judgment of the election tribunal, which sacked Diri and upheld the minority decision.

Diri’s lead lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), argued that the case of the first respondent (ANDP) was statute-barred at the time it was filed.