The ruling which nullified the election of Douye Diri as governor of Bayelsa State has been overturned by the court of appeal on Friday. A five-man panel of the court of appeal while delivering a unanimous judgment held that the Bayelsa Election Petition Tribunal acted outside its jurisdiction by nullifying Diri’s election.
The five-man panel of the court revealed that the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) failed to prove that it had a valid candidature that was unlawfully excluded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the court the Tribunal judged prejudicially when it ignored the fact that the petition of ANDP was status barred.
It also stressed that the party presented an unqualified candidate to INEC in the November 16, 2019 Governorship election in Bayelsa State.
