The All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission, on Wednesday, tendered conflicting election results for the November 11, 2023 governorship election held in Bayelsa State at the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
INEC had declared Douye Diri, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, as the winner of the election after polling a total of 175,196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress who scored 115,262 votes.
Diri, and his deputy, Lawrence Ehwrudjakpo, were on Wednesday inaugurated for their second term in office.
They took fresh oaths of office and allegiance administered by the state Chief Judge, Justice Matilda Ayemieye, inside the Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Sylva and the APC are challenging the declaration of Diri as the winner of the election at the tribunal.
INEC, Diri, his deputy, Ewhirujakpo, and the PDP are the respondents in the matter.
Sylvia and APC are contending that the election was conducted in Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Nembe Local Government Areas where INEC claimed that the election was not held due to the diversion of electoral materials among others.
However, at the commencement of the hearing of the petition, INEC presented its Certified True Copies of the election results, whereas the APC polling unit agents submitted diverse results for the areas where they were deployed.
An APC polling agent, Odungele Moses, before giving testimony, adopted his statement on oath which he deposed to on December 1, 2023.
Led in evidence by counsel for the petitioners, Tunde Falola, the witness maintained that the election took place in his polling unit, PU 15, Ward 4, and tendered a result which he claimed was issued to him by the election’s presiding officer.
However, during cross-examination by, counsel for the governor, Chris Uche, SAN, the witness admitted that although 16 political parties participated in the election, only the APC which he represented as an agent signed the result he tendered.
He, however, did not give reasons why others did not sign.
Another witness, Mallory Afin, who also testified for the petitioners tendered APC results which had the same serial number and number of accredited voters of 169 with INEC’s, but had different results recorded for the political parties.
During a cross-examination, Uche observed that the results tendered by the APC and its candidate at two different polling units were signed by the same presiding officer.
When put to Afin that the result he had was fake, the witness denied the allegations of parading fake election results.
Uche asked if he knew who had the power to conduct elections and declare a winner, the witness stated that it was INEC.
Although the two conflicting results were objected to by the different parties, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, admitted them as exhibits for the tribunal’s consideration during the hearing of the petition.
Adeleye subsequently adjourned further hearing till February 15, 2024.