Court of Appeal Dismisses APC And Sylva’s Appeal, Upholds Diri’s Election

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva, challenging the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s judgment. The tribunal had upheld the election and return of Senator Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Eruwjakpo, as the lawfully elected governor and deputy governor, respectively.

Justice James Abundaga, who delivered the lead judgment, affirmed the declaration of Diri and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winners of the November 11, 2023, election. The court awarded costs of N500,000 against the APC and Sylva, payable to the respondents in the appeal.

The appellate court found that the appellants failed to provide credible evidence that the election occurred in 184 polling units across Nembe, Ogbia, and Southern Ijaw. Additionally, the court ruled that since the election was not conducted in these disputed areas by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the issue of vote collation did not arise.