The Bayelsa Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday, August 17 nullified the election of Governor Douye Diri. The Tribunal also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to order a fresh election within 90 days. The verdict follows the petition by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) challenging the victory of Governor Diri in the November 19 governorship election. The ANDP claimed that the party was unlawfully excluded from the election. In a split judgement of two-one, the three-man panel ruled that INEC does not have the power to disqualify any candidate for an election. INEC in its argument had said that the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate was 34-year-old as at the time of nomination and therefore did not qualify to contest the election.
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