The Supreme Court of Nigeria has commenced hearings on the electoral disputes stemming from the 2023 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States.
Central to these disputes are Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, both of whom were declared winners by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last year.
The election results are being contested by Timipre Sylva, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Despite the challenges, both the Governorship Election Petition Tribunals and the Court of Appeal, which held their sessions in Abuja, upheld INEC’s declarations on various legal grounds.
