The Supreme Court of Nigeria has commenced hearing on electoral disputes that arose in the conduct of the governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States in 2023.
At the centre of the disputes are Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State who were declared winners of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last year.
A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are challenging the declarations made by INEC on the outcome of the elections.
However, the separate Governorship Election Petition Tribunals and the Court of Appeal both of which sat in Abuja in their respective findings, affirmed the declaration of the electoral body on various grounds.
