Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa, Chief Timipre Sylva has called on his supporters to remain steadfast despite Thursday's judgement of the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja dismissed an appeal filed by the APC and Chief Sylva, saying it was incompetent and constituted an abuse of court process.
The appellate court in unanimous decision, by the three-man panel of Justices led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, affirmed Diri as the validly elected governor of the state.
Reacting to the judgment on his verified Facebook page, Sylva said "To all the teeming Bayelsans who proudly stand for the All Progressives Congress and Sylva, I say, today is merely another step in the long and arduous journey to salvation.
"No march to a better society has come easy. Patriots and people have always fought for the birthing of a better world.
"The judgement of the Appeal Court sadly reflected some of the concerns expressed by the CJN recently. I say no more.
"Thus, after an extended meeting with my lawyers, elders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress the decision has been reached to proceed to the apex court of the land. The judgement of the Court of Appeal is in many ways not in alignment with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
"We have confidence that justice will be served at the long last. I urge Bayelsans and supporters to be law-abiding and calm. Every legal means to retrieve our stolen mandate will be exhausted."
The judges held that the decision of Sylva and his party to file their additional proof of evidence and statement on oath of witnesses, long after they had filed the petition, was “tantamount to a surreptitious attempt to amend the case of the petitioners.”
They also held that the issue of Diri's deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo’s educational qualification was previously determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The judges stated that the tribunal took judicial notice of the fact that Ewhrudjakpo, is a legal practitioner, and was satisfied that he was eminently qualified to contest the election.
They further held that the petitioners were unable to discharge the burden of proof that was placed on them by the law, and also failed to show, polling units by polling units, the particulars of the non-compliance they alleged and how it substantially affected the outcome of the election.
