The Court of Appeal has dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party and its Governorship Candidate Udengmobofa Eradiri challenging the emergence of Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party, as governor of Bayelsa State. The three-man panel held that the tribunal was right in dismissing the LP’s petition for lacking in merit.
The court held that Eradiri and his party failed to prove allegations of non-qualification and certificate forgery against Governor Diri and his deputy, as contained in their petition. The court also held that the tribunal was right when it held that the appellants petition was abandoned, having not been signed by either the petitioners or their counsel, as required by law.
The court noted that attachment of alleged forged documents to form EC8 submitted to INEC by the 3rd respondent is a pre-election matter which should not have been brought to the tribunal. The panel however awarded the cost of two hundred thousand Naira against the appellant in favour of each of the respondents in the appeal.
In the same vein, the appellate court also dismissed an appeal brought before it by the governorship candidate of the New Nigerian People’s Party, NNPP, Mike Akeems also challenging Governor Douye Diri’s emergence as governor. Like the appeal by the labor Party the main panel of the court of appeal also dismissed that of the NNPP and its candidate for lacking in merit, having resolved all the issues raised for the determination of the court against the appellant.
On the issue of forgery against the deputy governor Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo the court held that, apart from being a pre-election matter, the appellant failed to prove the allegation.
On the whole Justice P A Basil who delivered the unanimous judgement of the court in the appeals by NNPP and its governorship candidate held that the appeal is devoid of merit and accordingly dismissed and further slammed a fine of 200 thousand Naira to be paid to each of the respondents in the matter.
