Bayelsa Guber: Diri, INEC, PDP ask Supreme Court to dismiss Sylva’s appeal

Governor Douye Diri has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal brought against his election by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Bayelsa State gubernatorial election.

Diri insisted before the apex court that Sylva’s appeal was terribly bad beyond redemption as no witness or documents supported his petition.

At Monday’s proceedings, Diri, represented by Chris Uche, SAN, maintained that the appeal was devoid of merit and should be dismissed in its entirety.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, represented by Charles Edoshomwan, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, represented by Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, all supported the call for the dismissal of the appeal for want of merit.

However, Sylva, represented by Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, pleaded with the apex court to set aside the judgments of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition and the Court of Appeal which had earlier dismissed his petition.

Sylva specifically asked the Supreme Court to invalidate the declaration of Diri by INEC as winner of the gubernatorial poll and declare him as the lawful winner of the election.

After taking arguments from the lawyers involved, the apex court panel headed by Justice Garba Lawal deferred judgment till a date that would be communicated to the parties.