Bayelsa Guber : PDP, APC shift battle to court

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have shifted their battles for the soul of Bayelsa State to the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court.

Recall that the Candidate of the APC, Chief David Lyon, won the just-concluded governorship election in the state defeating his counterpart of the PDP, Senator Douye Diri, with a wide margin.

But investigations at the weekend revealed that both parties have legal hurdles to surmount before the February 14, 2020 hand over date.

The APC, Lyon and the Deputy Governor-elect, Biobarakumo Degi, were said to be wary of the three court cases challenging their qualifications and the process that led to their emergence as the candidates of the APC.

It was observed that few days to the election, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo gave a judgment disqualifying deputy governor elect, Degi following discrepancies in his name.

The case was instituted by the candidate of the PDP, Senator Douye Diri and his running mate Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor.

But the APC immediately obtained a stay of execution of the judgment and immediately filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal.

It was, however, gathered that the party and its national and state leaders were not sleeping over the matter as they had shifted their attention at vacating the judgement of the lower court.

Investigations further revealed that Lyon and the party have shifted their focus to the Federal High Court Judgement that disqualified Lyon two days to the governorship poll in a case between the party and a frontline aspirant and a former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

In a controversial judgement, the court presided over by Justice Kate Inyang, held that the governorship primary conducted by the APC in Bayelsa was not in compliance with the party’s guidelines.

The court, which was said to have gone beyond the reliefs sought by the plaintiff thereby acting like a Father Christmas, ruled that both Lyon and Lokpobiri were not qualified to fly the flag of the APC.

It was gathered that Lokpobiri, Lyon and the APC leadership were set to begin legal fireworks at the Court of Appeal.

Besides the APC and Lyon were said to be paying attention to a suit instituted by another aspirant, Preye Aganaba challenging the emergence of Lyon.

Aganaba asked the court to nullify the primary poll that produced Lyon alleging that the internal election fell short of the guidelines of the party.

It was further observed that the PDP and its candidate, Douye Diri, had its fair share of litigations with a frontline aspirant and former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe challenging the process that led to the party primary.

It was gathered that the court would soon pick a date for judgement having adjourned the case sine die.

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