Bayelsa Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja has dismissed petition by candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Mr Onwei Tongo, challenging election of Governor Duoye Diri and his deputy, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.

A three-man panel of judges on Saturday held that the petitioner failed to prove the allegation of certificate falsification against Ewhrudjakpo beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the judgement, read by Mr Owodunni, the panel upheld the objections by Diri, Ewhrudjakpo, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ruled that the petition lacked merit and constituted an “unnecessary waste of time of the court.”

AD had contended that Ewhrudjakpo altered the name on his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate presented to Independent National Electoral Commission for 2019 governorship election.

Daily Trust