Bayelsa Governorship: INEC Explains Why ANDP Was Disqualified from Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) was excluded from the November 16, 2019 Bayelsa State governorship election.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the party failed to submit a valid nomination within the stipulated period.

Okoye spoke while reacting to the judgment of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which nullified the election of Governor Douye Diri. He noted, however, that INEC had not yet received the full copy of the tribunal’s judgment.

According to him, ANDP initially submitted Peter David as its deputy governorship candidate.

INEC said David was 34 years old at the time of nomination, whereas Section 177(b) of the Constitution then required candidates for governor and deputy governor to have attained the age of 35.

The documents submitted by the party reportedly stated that David was born on February 10, 1985.

Okoye said INEC wrote to ANDP on September 13, 2019, drawing its attention to the age requirement and informing the party that its nomination was invalid.

The party subsequently responded on September 21 and submitted Inowei Janeth as a replacement deputy governorship candidate.

INEC, however, informed ANDP that the deadline for submission of nominations had already expired on September 9, 2019.

According to Okoye, because the party had not submitted a valid nomination before the deadline, it could not validly substitute another candidate afterward.

INEC consequently omitted ANDP’s name and logo from the ballot paper used for the election.

The commission further argued that the dispute concerned a pre-election matter and that the party did not challenge the decision within the constitutionally prescribed 14-day period.

Okoye said INEC would consider the issues raised by the tribunal and respond appropriately once it received and studied the full judgment.

The tribunal sitting in Abuja had nullified Diri’s election following a petition arising from ANDP’s exclusion from the governorship poll.