Bayelsa election: Appeal court grants victory to APC deputy governor-elect
The disqualification of Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, the deputy-governor-elect of Bayelsa state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been upturned by an appeal court sitting in Abuja.
The appellate court threw out the judgement delivered days to the Bayelsa election on November 16, by a Federal Hight Court saying the latter erred in its ruling.
Senator Degi-Eremienyo had challenged the ruling of the lower court which barred him from taking part in the election.
Delivering judgement on Monday, December 23, Channels Television reports that a three-man panel led by Justice Stephen Adah ruled that the lower court breached of the appellant’s right to a fair hearing.
The appellate court held that since the case against Senator Degi-Eremienyo is criminal in nature, his accuser was supposed to have been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the APC running mate gave false information in the form C001 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The appeal court also noted that Senator Degi-Eremienyo swore to an affidavit to show that Adeyi-Eremienyo, which is the name on his school-leaving certificate, is one and the same as Degi-Eremienyo on his GCE certificate.
The appeal court also noted that there were newspaper cuttings to that effect.
Legit.ng earlier reported how a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, November 12, disqualified Degi-Eremienyo, who was deputy governorship candidate just four days to the election.
The court claimed he provided false information in his CF0001 form submitted to INEC for the election.
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Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgement, said Degi-Eremienyo gave false information in relation to his educational qualifications and went ahead to depose to an affidavit to correct the discrepancies.
The judge held that all his documents bore different names.
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Source: Legit.ng
