Appeal Court Fines APC Candidate Sylva In Bayelsa Guber Case

Appeal Court Fines APC Candidate Sylva In Bayelsa Guber Case

The Abuja Appeal Court has imposed a fine of ₦400,000 on Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State. This penalty stems from Sylva’s filing of an interlocutory appeal that was deemed unnecessary and resulted in the wastage of the court’s and respondents’ time……READ ALSO Appeal Court Justices Warn Elisha Abbo Over Bribery Accusations

The ₦400,000 fine is to be paid to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and three other respondents, namely the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Douye Diri, and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.

Justice H.A. Barka, alongside Justices A.B. Mohammed and P. Obiorah, presided over the appellate court panel and collectively dismissed the appeal seeking the dissolution of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Sylva and the APC had filed an application to withdraw their appeal, which aimed to compel the chairman and members of the Bayelsa State Election Petition Tribunal to recuse themselves from the tribunal.

Although Sylva had written to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, alleging bias against the tribunal, the application was dismissed, and the panel was instructed to proceed with the petition before it.

The All Progressives Congress and its candidate filed an interlocutory appeal against the election tribunal’s decision, seeking the tribunal’s recusal and amendment of the record of proceedings.

The appellants submitted a notice of withdrawal for the appeal on Monday, and during Tuesday’s hearing, the appeal court panel dismissed it, imposing fines on Sylva and the APC.

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