The Court of Appeal has dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party and its governorship candidate, Udengmobofa Eradiri, which challenged the victory of Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 2023 Bayelsa State gubernatorial election.
A three-man panel of the appellate court ruled that the tribunal was correct in dismissing the Labour Party’s petition due to its lack of merit. The court found that Eradiri and his party failed to substantiate their allegations of non-qualification and certificate forgery against Governor Diri and his deputy, as outlined in their petition.
Additionally, the court upheld the tribunal’s decision that the appellants’ petition was abandoned because it was not signed by either the petitioners or their counsel, as mandated by law.
The court also noted that the issue of attaching alleged forged documents to Form EC8, which was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the third respondent, was a pre-election matter that should not have been brought before the tribunal.
Furthermore, the panel imposed a cost of two hundred thousand Naira against the appellant, in favor of each of the respondents in the appeal.