Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has reserved judgement within the case filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylvia, in opposition to the declaration of Governor Douye Diri, because the governor of the state.
The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, yesterday in Abuja, introduced that the judgement can be delivered inside the 180 days statutorily allowed by legislation.
He mentioned all events within the petition can be communicated as quickly because the judgement supply date is mounted.
At yesterday‘s proceedings, the petitioners, Sylvia and APC, adopted their remaining written handle, praying the tribunal to annul the declaration of Diri because the winner of the election.
Their lead counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), informed the tribunal that the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral
Fee, INEC, launched into wrongful exclusion of outcomes earlier than arriving on the declaration of Diri as winner.
The petitioners‘ lawyer acknowledged that the electoral physique didn’t debunk the allegation of wrongful exclusion of outcomes by not calling the state election consequence collation officer to testify.
He, subsequently, urged the tribunal to objectively determine the petition on the power of the proof adduced by the petitioners particularly as a result of INEC didn’t name a single witness to problem all of the allegations.
Nevertheless, Diri‘s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), knowledgeable the tribunal that the petition by Sylvia is lifeless on arrival as a result of it’s grossly poor in amount and high quality of proof.
He mentioned that the petition was baseless, frivolous and vexatious and grossly missing in advantage as a result of the 2 petitioners didn’t discharge the burden positioned on them by legislation.
Amongst others, Uche mentioned that Sylva predicated his petition on alleged refusal of INEC to collate ends in three native governments areas- Southern Ijaw, Nembe and Ogbia however didn’t name a single collation officer to again up its declare.
Moreover, Uche mentioned that Sylvia didn’t tender voter register, BVAS machines and type EC8A used for the purported election within the three native governments to determine his allegations.
The senior lawyer additionally mentioned that the petitioner himself, regardless of having a witness assertion on oath, refused to present proof earlier than the tribunal to substantiate his allegations.
Uche pleaded with the tribunal to discountenance the proof of a former police commissioner within the state on the bottom that the police officer admitted earlier than the tribunal that he had points with Diri when the Prado Jeep earlier given to him was withdrawn.
Uche additionally urged the tribunal to not invoke the spirit of the judgement that introduced Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, into workplace, including that INEC has established past doubt that election didn’t maintain within the three native governments on account of resistance by some hoodlums to the usage of BVAS machines.