The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Senator Duoye Diri, has been sworn in as governor.
The swearing came barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court nullified the election of All Progressives Congress candidate David Lyon over fake certificates with which his deputy entered the election.
A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to withdraw the Certificate of Return that had been issued to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the November 16, 2019 governorship election.
The court then ordered INEC to issue a fresh Certificate-of-Return to the candidate of the party with the next highest votes and with the required constitutional spread of votes in the results of the election, which was the PDP.
Hours before the swearing-in on Friday, INEC officially declared Diri as the winner of the election in the state.
He was sworn-in along with his Deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.
While delivering his acceptance speech, the new governor asked Bayelsan’s to embrace each other in love and avoid hatred which he believes would only inhibit the growth and development of the state.
The swearing-in of the governor put a lie to the boast by the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, that nobody would be sworn in on Friday.
Oshiomhole, who was ostensibly unhappy with the outcome of the electoral petition at the Supreme Court described the judgement as lacking in fruit of justice.
