•INEC: ANDP candidate not validly nominated
A Tribunal sitting in Abuja has sacked Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri from office.
The State Governorship Election Tribunal, which sat in Abuja, removed him through a two-to-one split verdict.
But the governor and his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have said they will appeal the judgment.
The tribunal voided the election of the governor and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhruojakpo, following a petition filed by the Advanced Nigerian Democratic Party (ANDP) its National Chairman, Charles Ogboli, and its candidate in the November 16, 2019 election, King Lucky George, who complained about unlawful exclusion.
In the majority decision, Justices Owodunni and Yunusa Musa (members of the three-man panel) upheld the argument by petitioners’ lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), that the ANDP and its candidates were unlawfully excluded from the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Both Justices upheld the petition, nullified the election and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
While delivering his verdict, the tribunal chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.
Justice Sirajo held that there was evidence that the ANDP was disqualified from the election for fielding an ineligible candidate.
