The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Mr. Belemote Watson, the winner of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly seat in Brass Constituency 2.

In a ruling, the court upheld the earlier ruling of the State House of Assembly Tribunal and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, to issue Watson his certificate of return.

Also, the appellate court upheld the ruling of the Tribunal nullifying the election of Dr. Michael Awoli Anapurere of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Ogbia Constituency 2 in the State House of Assembly.

The appellate court then declared Mr. Gibson Munalayefa of Labour Party as the winner of the election having scored the highest valid votes cast.

By the latest judgment, the number of opposition members in the House has risen to five in a twenty-four member State Assembly.

Only recently, the court sacked Ms. Naomi Ogoli of the PDP as member representing Ogbia Constituency 3 and declared Mr. Gabriel Ogbara of the African Democratic Congress, as the authentic winner of the election in the constituency.

In the 2015 general election, Mr.Ebiye Tarabina of APGA was elected for Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency 2 while Mr. Sunny Israel-Goli of All Progressives Congress was elected as lawmaker representing Brass Constituency 1.

Source: punchng.com

Isidi Monica