Supreme Court upholds Duoye Diri’s re-election as Bayelsa Governor

The Supreme Court has upheld the re-election of Senator Duoye Diri as Governor of Bayelsa State, dismissing the appeal by Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11, 2023, off-cycle election.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Lawal Garba, affirmed the Court of Appeal’s July 15 decision, which ruled that Sylva’s appeal was an abuse of court process due to the filing of two notices of appeal.

Citing the 1999 Constitution, the Apex Court emphasized that the APC candidate had only one right to appeal the Tribunal’s judgment, not multiple appeals. The Court, therefore, found Sylva’s dual notices of appeal to be improper.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, deeming it without merit.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared that Governor Duoye Diri of the PDP secured 175,196 votes, defeating Timipre Sylva of the APC, who received 110,108 votes.