The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11, 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election.
This development is the latest chapter in the ongoing legal battle over the outcome of the contested poll.
On Monday, a five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Garba Lawal, heard arguments from all parties involved.
The court will announce its decision on a date to be communicated to the parties involved.
Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, representing Sylva, urged the Supreme Court to overturn the previous rulings of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Both lower courts had dismissed Sylva’s petition challenging the election results.
“We ask the court to invalidate INEC’s declaration of Governor Douye Diri as the winner and instead declare Mr. Sylva as the rightful victor of the election,” Ikpeazu stated.
In response, Chris Uche, SAN, counsel for Governor Diri, called for the dismissal of Sylva’s appeal. Uche argued, “This appeal is terribly flawed and beyond redemption. There are no witnesses or documents supporting Mr. Sylva’s claims to the court.”
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Representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also supported the call to dismiss Sylva’s appeal, citing a lack of merit.
The case stems from the November 2023 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State, where INEC declared Douye Diri of the PDP as the winner. Sylva and the APC have contested this outcome through legal channels, culminating in this Supreme Court appeal.
