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Bayelsa: Appeal Court declares APGA winner of assembly poll, order PDP to vacate seat

Published

10 years ago

February 11, 2016

INEC has powers to decide how to transmit election results — Appeal Court

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Just as governor Dickson of bayelsa state returned for his second term under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, so also the ruling party is loosing more sit in the state House of Assebly as the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, declared Mr.Alfred Belemote Watson, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, as the winner of the Brass Constituency two in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.

In a ruling, the court upheld the earlier ruling of the State House of Assembly Tribunal and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue Mr.Watson his certificate of returns.

Also, the Appeal Court upheld the ruling of the Tribunal nullifying the election of Dr. Michael Awoli Anapurere of the PDP representing Ogbia constituency two in the State House of Assembly.

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The appellate court then declared Mr.Gibson Munalayefa of Labour Party as the winner of the election having scored the highest valid votes cast. By the latest judgment, the number of opposition members in the House has risen to five in a twenty-four members State Assembly.

Only recently, the court sacked Ms. Naomi Ogoli of the PDP as member representing Ogbia Constituency three and declare Mr.Gabriel Ogbara of the African Democratic Congress, ADC as the authentic winner of the election in the constituency.

In the 2015 general election, Mr.Ebiye Tarabina of APGA was elected for Kolokuma/Opokuma constituency two while Mr.Sunny Israel Goli of All Progressives Congress, APC was elected as lawmaker representing Brass Constituency one.