Supreme Court: APC Begs INEC To Conduct Fresh Elections In Bayelsa

APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging the electoral body to conduct a fresh governorship election in Bayelsa state. 

This comes after the Supreme Court sacked the candidate of the APC, David Lyon as winner of the governorship election in Bayelsa State and replaced him with candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Duoye Diri who scored the second highest vote in the election. 

However in a letter written by the chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole and addressed to INEC, the electoral commission was urged to conduct a new election because according to them, Diri did not meet the requirement needed for him to become Governor of the State.

The letter read:

‘‘In the said judgement of the Supreme Court, the candidature of our governorship and deputy governorship candidates were nullified and the commission was ordered to issue fresh certificate of returns with the highest number of votes and with the required geographical spread. 

‘’It is however to be noted that the Supreme Court did not void the votes that our party polled at the election and the implication of this is that the votes of the All Progressives Congress must be reckoned with in determining whether any other candidate polled majority of lawful votes cast in one-quarter of at least two thirds majority of the state.

‘‘We have reviewed the judgement of the Supreme Court and we are of the firm opinion that the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party cannot be issued certificate of return and or sworn in as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State respectively.

‘‘We are aware of that section 179(1)(b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria mandatorily requires a candidate for an election to the office of governor of a state to have not less than one quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two thirds of all the local government areas in the state before the candidate can be deemed to have been duly elected as the Governor of the State. This mandatory requirement was affirmed by the supreme court in the judgement under reference.

“From the results announced and duly published by the commission, it is clear that no candidates meet this mandatory constitutional requirement, including the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party who only managed to poll one quarter of the votes cast in only five local government areas.

“The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party or any other candidate whatsoever, none satisfies the requirement of one quarter of the votes cast in at least 2/3 of the local government areas in the state as required by the supreme court judgement further request that a fresh election be conducted by the commission for the office of the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State.”