Supreme Court Upholds Election of Seriake Dickson

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the election of Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson. The seven-man panel of the court gave the ruling following an appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Bayelsa Election Petition Tribunal by the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva.

The lower courts had upheld the election of Dickson as governor of Bayelsa State. Sylva, however, filed an appeal against the judgment at the apex court.

The panel led by Justice Tanko Muhammad, in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal filed by the APC and its candidate, Sylva, in the last Bayelsa State governorship election on the grounds that it was lacking in merit.

The Justice Muhammad-led panel, however, said that it would give reasons for its decision ‎on November 18, 2016.

The Bayelsa State Election Petition Tribunal had earlier dismissed the petition filed by Sylva and his party challenging the emergence of Dickson in the election.

Sylva and his party, unsatisfied with the verdict of the Election Tribunal, filed an appeal before the appellate court in Abuja, which also dismissed his case.

The appeal court, in a unanimous judgment by a five-man panel of justices, dismissed the joint appeal of the APC and Sylva.

Justice Rotimi Bada in the lead judgment held that the appeal lacked merit. The panel upheld the July 26 verdict of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declared Dickson of the PDP as the validity elected governor in the election.

Sylva, yet unsatisfied with the verdict of the Court of Appeal, further appealed against the decisions of the lower courts before the Supreme Court.

All members of the panel agreed with the lead judgment of the panel and promised to deliver a detailed judgment on November 18, 2016.