The Court of Appeal in Abuja, has reversed the August 17, 2020, majority judgement of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Tribunal that sacked Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as Governor of the State,
A 5-man Panel of the Appellate Court, in two unanimous judgements on Friday, held that the Tribunal was wrong to have assumed jurisdiction over the petition filed on February 26, 2020, by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party, ANDP, and grant the reliefs sought by the Petitioner.
The Court of Appeal held among others, that the cause of action was statute barred, as at when the ANDP filed its petition, because its grouses of unlawful exclusion; and unlawful disqualification are pre-election issues that ought to be raised within 14 days.
The Appellate Court proceeded to set aside the majority judgement of the Tribunal, which had sacked Governor Diri, and affirmed his return as the winner of the November 16, 2019, Governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The judgements were as on the appeal marked: CA/ABJ/EPT/GOV/703/2020, filed Governor Diri, and CA/ABJ/EPT/GOV/704/2020 by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The court which scheduled judgements in 7 appeals on the same dispute over the last Bayelsa State Governorship election, is currently on the third appeal, marked: CA/ABJ/EPT/GOV/705/2020, filed by the PDP.
More news later…