Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo, are expected to open their defence next week before the state governorship tribunal sitting in Abuja.

The All Progressives Congress and its candidate in the governorship election, Timipre Sylva, are challenging the re-election of the governor and his deputy.

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 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

They urged the tribunal to hold that election held in the said polling units across three local governments and declared them the winner.

At the opening of the hearing on the petition on February 14, 2024, INEC presented evidence to the tribunal to substantiate its claim that voting did not take place due to the alleged diversion of materials and disruption of the electoral process over the alleged bypass of the BVAS machine.

However, the petitioners on Thursday, after calling four witnesses sought for an adjournment to enable them to call more witnesses to prove their case.

Since the request for adjournment was not opposed by the respondents, the Chairman of the three-member panel of the Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, announced Monday and Tuesday next week for the continuation of the trial.

The petitioners are expected to close their case next week, after which the governor, his deputy, and the PDP will open theirs.

punchng.com