Reality of failure is seriously hitting the immediate past minister of petroleum and candidate of the APC in the last gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva.
For the second time in about one week, Sylva’s dream of getting the election petitions tribunal panel sitting in Abuja to hear petitions arising from the Bayelsa election disbanded was scuttled, as the tribunal refused to grant his request.
Last week, after closing his case at the tribunal, Sylva had written to the president of the court of appeal, asking that the panel be disbanded. He cited lack of trust in the panel. His request was thrown into the waste bin, with the appeal court directing the tribunal to continue with the hearing on Monday.
His fresh motion at the resumed hearing for the panelists to excuse themselves was seriously opposed by all the respondents in the petition, compelling the tribunal to rule against Sylva. As Sylva was wailing, Senator Douye Diri who was personally at the tribunal for the first time, was having a good laugh. Diri had defeated Sylva during the election.
Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adekunle Adeleye dismissed the motion after arguments from counsel to Sylva, Tunde Falola, Charles Edosanwan for INEC, Chris Uche, SAN, for Diri, Chukwuma Machukwu Ume for the deputy governor and Tayo Oyetibo who represented the PDP
Adekeye held that a letter from the President of the Court of Appeal on March 5, mandated the tribunal to proceed with the hearing of the petition, irrespective of any application by the parties.
