The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja will resume proceedings on March 11, 2024.
The tribunal, headed by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, adjourned sine die (indefinitely) following allegations of bias against the members of the panel as well as a petition seeking the disbandment of the tribunal.
Adeleye added that the tribunal would await the decision of the Court of Appeal on the petition against the panel.
The All Progressives Congress and its candidate in the Bayelsa State governorship poll, Timipre Sylva had in a petition dated March 4, 2024, accused the tribunal of denying them their Constitutional right to a fair hearing as required by law by ordering them to call their 234 witnesses within seven days.
They had claimed that the order hurriedly made them close their case without calling all the witnesses they had lined up for the matter.
The petitioners also claimed that the tribunal distorted the oral testimony of their witnesses in the record of proceedings and had also made findings and decisions in respect of the authenticity and weight of polling unit election results they tendered.
They, however, called for the disbandment and reconstitution of another panel. However, in a hearing notice dated March 6, 2024, sent to parties involved in the matter on Wednesday, it stated that the tribunal would resume proceedings on March 11.
The notice stated, “Take notice that the above election petition will be heard on the 11th day of March 2024 and on such other days as the Court of Appeal may determine.”
The APC and its candidate are challenging the re-election of Governor Duoye Diri, and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Diri the winner of the election after polling 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva of the APC who scored 110,108 votes.
Dissatisfied, Sylva and the APC approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration of Diri as the winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Sylva and the APC are contending that elections were held in some polling units in three local governments of Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Nembe where INEC and the other respondents claimed there was no election.
The petitioners claimed that if the results from these local governments were added to their votes, they won the election.