The Appeal Court in Abuja has ordered the payment of a total fine of N400,000 to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and three other respondents for an interlocutory appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva.
The appeal, which sought the dissolution of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, was dismissed as a waste of the court’s time. The court panel, led by Justice H.A. Barka, also awarded costs in favor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Douye Diri, and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
Sylva and the APC had initially filed an application to withdraw the appeal, which challenged the refusal of the tribunal to recuse itself from hearing their petition. However, the court dismissed the withdrawal request and directed the panel to continue with the proceedings.
The APC and Sylva subsequently filed an interlocutory appeal against the tribunal’s decision. On Monday, they filed a notice of withdrawal of the appeal, which was dismissed by the court on Tuesday with the imposition of the N400,000 fine. CONTINUE READING
Leave a Reply