In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the re-election of Senator Duoye Diri as the Governor of Bayelsa State, putting to rest the legal challenges surrounding the November 11, 2023 governorship election. The apex court’s five-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, delivered a unanimous judgment striking out the appeal filed by Timipre Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State, had challenged the outcome of the election, alleging irregularities and seeking to overturn the victory of Diri, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, the Supreme Court ruled that Sylva’s appeal was “completely incompetent” and constituted an abuse of court process.
In upholding the concurrent judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, the Supreme Court reinforced the earlier decisions dismissing Sylva’s case for lacking merit. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Diri the winner of the governorship poll, having scored 175,196 votes to defeat Sylva, who polled 110,108 votes.
The Supreme Court’s ruling brings closure to the protracted legal battle over the Bayelsa State governorship election, affirming Diri’s mandate and paving the way for him to continue leading the state.
