BAYELSA: You’re Demanding The Impossible, INEC Rejects APC’s Call For Fresh Poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has turned down the request by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to conduct a fresh governorship election in Bayelsa State.

INEC asked the APC to perish the thought of a fresh governorship poll in the state, saying the ruling party was “asking for what is not possible.”

The electoral umpire said this after the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, wrote a letter to INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu, demanding a fresh governorship election in the state.

In the letter titled “Judgement in Appeal No: SC.1/2020 between Peoples Democratic Party and APC”, Oshiomhole said “The contention on the Bayelsa governorship is far from over. We are all aware of the NYSC certificate forgery case of the Bayelsa deputy governor, Sen. Lawrence Oborawharievwo Ewhrudjakpo.

He added, “And the decision of the APC National leadership to continue to pursue all legal avenues to contest INEC’s decision to declare Duoye Diri as Bayelsa Governor, having failed to meet the mandatory constitutional requirement to become the governor.”

But INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, told Punch that the commission has no business revisiting the Bayelsa governorship poll.

“The APC is asking for what is not possible. The party should forget a fresh governorship election in Bayelsa State,” the newspaper another top INEC official as saying.

The Supreme Court had nullified the election of David Lyon of the APC for presenting a running mate (Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo) with fake certificates to INEC ahead of the election.

The court had also ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to Lyon and issue a fresh one to the candidate who came second with the required spread in the election.

INEC met last week Friday to review the judgement, where it decided that PDP’s Diri should be declared winner of the poll having come second with 143, 172 votes in the election.