There was commotion at the Supreme Court on Friday as the apex court delivers judgment in the governorship election disputes in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court had fixed today, Aug. 23 for the final judgment of the Nov. 11, 2023 governorship poll conducted in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, lawyers, litigants, journalists and supporters of different candidates found it difficult to access the courtroom as police officers and private security guards from Halogen Security, restrained everyone from going into the courtroom.

NAN reports that at about 1pm, accessing the court had become difficult as many journalists were denied entrance into the courtroom.

The development resulted in commotion at the premises of the court as supporters of candidates in the elections struggle to have access into the courtroom at all cost.

NAN reports that a five-member panel of the court is presided over by Justice Garba Lawal.

The panel is to is deliver judgment in the petitions filed by the APC governorship candidate in Bayelsa, Timipre Sylva; PDP candidate in Imo, Samuel Anyanwu and Murtala Ajaka of Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s candidate in Kogi.

They are challenging the election victory of Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa (PDP); Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo (APC) and Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi (APC) respectively.

Meanwhile, in its first ruling for the day, the apex court has affirmed the re-election of Senator Duoye Diri as the Governor of Bayelsa State after dismissing the appeal of Timipre Sylva, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the November 11, 2023 off-cycle election.

A five-member panel of the Apex Court headed by Justice Lawal Garba, affirmed the Court of Appeal decision of July 15 which deemed Sylva’s appeal as an abuse of Court process for filing two notices of appeal.

Citing a section of the 1999 Constitution, the Apex Court panel held that the APC Governorship candidate has only one right to appeal the judgment of the Tribunal and not multiple appeals. The Court therefore faulted the APC Governorship candidate who filed two notices of appeal to the Appellate Court.

In a unanimous judgment the appeal dismissed by the Supreme Court for lacking merit.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared that Governor Duoye Diri of the PDP garnered a total of 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the APC who polled 110,108 votes. (Pieced together from stories by NAN and Channels TV)

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