Gbenro Adesina
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, said he will appeal the ruling of the tribunal annulling the Bayelsa governorship election, saying he has instructed his lawyers to file the necessary papers.
The governor said he has implicit confidence in the judiciary and he would triumph at the end.
He said, “This is a court of the first instance and I have instructed our lawyers to file an appeal. We have a right to appeal even up to the Supreme Court.”
The governor urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his supporters not to panic but continue to remain calm and law-abiding.
The Bayelsa State governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday August 17, 2020, annulled the election of Duoye Diri as governor of Bayelsa state.
The tribunal held that the November 16, 2019 governorship poll that brought Diri to power was unlawful due to the exclusion of the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) and its candidate from the election.
It, therefore, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh governorship election in Bayelsa State within 90 days.
Diri was sworn in as governor after the Supreme Court sacked David Lyon as governor-elect 24 hours before his inauguration.
