The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Senator Duruoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor-elect of Bayelsa state.
The declaration which was made by INEC chairmain, Mahmood Yakubu on Friday said the decision of the electoral body follows the judgment of the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Mr Diri and his running mate, Senator Lawrence Ewhruojakpo, will now be sworn-in as governor and deputy governor.
The Supreme Court had nullified the election of Bayelsa State governor-elect, David Lyon and his running mate Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.
This meant that all the votes recorded for the All Progressives Congress duo were not going to be considered as they were null and void.
A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to the All Progressives Congress’ candidates as the winners of the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state.
The apex court ordered INEC to issue fresh certificates to the candidates of the party with the next highest votes and with the required constitutional spread of votes in the results of the election, which are the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidates.
Justice Ejembi Ekwo, who read the lead judgment of the apex, made the orders after disqualifying the APC’s deputy governorship candidate, Degi-Eremienyo, as a candidate in the election.
The court upheld the November 12, 2019 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which had disqualified Degi-Eremienyo in the election for submitting forged certificates to INEC.
The court ruled Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had infected the joint ticket with which he and the governorship candidate, Lyon, ran for and won the November 16, 2019 election.
