The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment on two significant governorship election appeals from Bayelsa and Kogi states. The decisions come after several legal battles following the controversial results of the 2023 elections in both states.
In Bayelsa State, Governor Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faced an appeal challenging his re-election on November 11, 2023. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Diri the winner, but his opponent, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), contested the results.
After losing at both the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal, Sylva proceeded to the Supreme Court, urging it to overturn the previous judgments and nullify Diri’s victory.
Sylva’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), argued that the appellate court’s decision should be voided, while Diri’s lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), firmly opposed the appeal, calling it “terrible, bad and beyond redemption.” INEC and the PDP also requested that the appeal be dismissed due to a lack of merit.
The case was presided over by Justice Garba Lawal, who, after hearing the arguments, announced that judgment would be delivered at a later date, which would be communicated to all parties.
In a similar scenario, the Supreme Court also reserved judgment on the appeal contesting the election of Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo of the APC. Yakubu Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) challenged Ododo’s victory and requested a full seven-Justice panel to hear his appeal.
However, the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, dismissed Ajaka’s application for the full panel and adjourned the case for judgment.
