Bayelsa State Governor To Appeal Tribunal Ruling
Following the outcome of the election petition tribunal, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has revealed his intentions to appeal the ruling by the election tribunal that nullified his election.
The governor who disclosed this after the tribunal’s ruling in Abuja appealed to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to remain calm and law abiding.
He said, “This is a court of first instance and I have instructed our lawyers to file an appeal. We have a right of appeal even up to Supreme Court.
“We trust in the judiciary and we are appealing the judgement. With God on our side, we will get justice.”
The court had earlier nullified Diri’s election following a petition filed by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of excluding the party from the ballot even after meeting all INEC’s requirement.
The Justice Ibrahim Sirajo led panel voided the outcome of the gubernatorial election that held in the state citing the exclusion of a duly registered party, ANDP, in the elections.
The ANDP claimed that the party was unlawfully excluded from the election.
The panel ruled that INEC does not have the power to disqualify any candidate for an election.
The election, which was conducted and supervised by the nation’s electoral umpire, INEC, took place November 16, 2019.
