Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, has commended the judiciary
for asserting its independence and steadfastness in protecting the
sanctity of the ballot as well as upholding itself as the bastion of the
nation’s democracy. His comment came Thursday afternoon following the
judgement of the Appeal Court which upheld the earlier judgement of the
Bayelsa State governorship election petition tribunal in favour of the
governor.
Former governor, Timipre Sylva, had petitioned the appellate court seeking
to upturn the decision of the tribunal. But in its judgement in Abuja
Thursday, the Appeal Court, in a unanimous decision, dismissed Sylva’s
petition as lacking in merit and affirmed Dickson’s election as declared
by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It held that the APC failed to provide credible, cogent and convincing
evidence for their appeal.
The 5-man panel of justices of the Appeal Court led by Justice Olukayode
Bada faulted Sylva on the various grounds of his petition, noting in
particular that contrary to the petition, no credible election took
place on the 6th of December 2016 in Southern Ijaw. Sylva had premised his
argument on the cancellation of election in Southern Ijaw Local Government
as sole action of INEC, thereby contravening the law. But both the
tribunal and the Appeal court thought otherwise.
Dickson, in the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel
Iworiso-Markson, has called on the former governor, Timipre Sylva, to stop
the flagrant abuse of the judicial process and the needless distractions
designed at overheating the polity.
He noted that the judgement indicated that the resolve of the people did
not go in vain as he called for greater vigilance to protect democracy in
the country.
