The Bayelsa State Governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the victory of the incumbent Governor of the state, Seriake Dickson. In a judgment on the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress and its candidate in the last Governorship election in the state, Timipre Sylva, the tribunal Chairman, Justice Kazeem Alogba dismissed the petition for lack of merit.
Not satisfied after the result of the Governorship election between December 2015 and January 2016 in the state, the candidate of APC, Timipre Sylva approached the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election. The petitioner had alleged that the election was marred by malpractices, intimidation of voters, hijacking of Electoral materials, and non-collation of results in substantial parts of Sagbama, Yenogoa, Nembe, Ogbia and Ekeremor Local Government Areas.
He also contended that the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state lacked the power to unilaterally cancel the supplementary election scheduled in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area for December 6, 2015 and rescheduled it to January 9, 2016.
