Appeal Court upholds Duoye Diri’s election as Bayelsa Governor

The Court of Appeal has set aside a ruling of the Bayelsa State Governorship election petition tribunal that nullified the election of Diri Duoye as the validly elected governor of Bayelsa State.

In a majority judgement delivered in Abuja on Friday, the court held that the petition by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) was statute-barred, and the tribunal had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The court also said that the tribunal was not the proper forum to entertain the petition as it was wrong to have held that the candidates of ANDP were validly nominated.

The Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Petition Tribunal had in August nullified the election of Mr Diri.

The election was nullified based on a petition by ANDP which argued that it was unlawfully excluded from participating in the election.

Details later..