BREAKING: Election Tribunal sacks Bayelsa Gov, orders fresh election

The Bayelsa Governorship Election Tribunal sitting at Abuja has nullified the election of Governor Douye Diri.

The Tribunal additionally requested the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to arrange a new election inside 90 days.

The decision from the tribunal followed the request by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) challenging the triumph of Governor Diri in the November 19 governorship political race.

The ANDP asserted that the party was unlawfully rejected from the political race.

In a split judgment of two to one, the three-man tribunal board decided that INEC doesn’t have the ability to preclude any candidate from an election.

INEC had argued in its contention that the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate, David Esinkuma was 34-year-old as at the time of election and consequently was not fit to challenge the political race.

ANDP told Justice Yunusa Musa, who has conveyed the lead judgment that its underlying Deputy Governorship Candidate, David Esinkuma was properly subbed by the Party inside the permitted time period, following the warning from INEC that he is under-age.

Justice Musa in his reaction said that INEC has no capacity to exclude any competitor and demands that the request of the ANDP stands.

Justice Musa added that only a court has the ability to exclude any contender for any political race and that the appeal was documented inside 21 days, which is the specified time for petitions to be recorded.

Justice Musa described the activity of INEC to avoid the ANDP from the Bayelsa Governorship Election as illicit.