Bayelsa guber: Appeal Court fines APC candidate, Sylva

By Jude Opara

The Appeal Court in Abuja yesterday imposed a cumulative fine of N400, 000 on the All Progressives Congress, (APC), governorship candidate in the 2023 election in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, for filing an interlocutory appeal that wasted the time of the court and the respondents.
The N400,000 fine is in favour of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and three other respondents comprising the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Governor Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The appellate court panel headed by Justice H.A Barka, with Justices A.B Mohammed and P. Obiorah as members, dismissed the appeal which sought dissolution of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Sylva and the APC had filed an application to withdraw their appeal which sought to compel the chairman and members of the Bayelsa State Election Petition Tribunal to recuse themselves from the tribunal.
The APC governorship candidate had earlier written to President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, alleging bias against the tribunal but the application was dismissed and the panel was directed to continue with the petition before it.
The APC and its candidate then filed an interlocutory appeal No. CA/ABJ/EP/GOV/BY/09/2024 against the decision of the election tribunal refusing to recuse itself from continuing hearing of their petition and for amendment of the record of proceedings.
On Monday, the appellants filed a notice of withdrawal of the appeal and when the matter was heard on Tuesday, the appeal court panel dismissed it and awarded costs against Sylva and the APC.