Court Sacks APC Gov Candidate in Bayelsa

Matilda Omonaiye&NAN/

A Federal High Court sitting in Bayelsa has ruled that the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State were not duly conducted.

The court consequently declared that APC has no candidate in the Governorship Election holding on Saturday.

The case was instituted by Senator Heineken Lokpoibiri of the APC.

Delivering judgment, Justice Jane Inyang, held that the primaries, which held on September 4, were conducted arbitrarily outside the rules of the party.

She held that since the process was conducted in violation of the party’s constitution and guidelines as clearly spelt out for the conduct of governorship primaries, none of the aspirants should be fielded as the party’s candidate.

She, therefore, restrained the Independent Electoral Commission from including David Lyon as the APC candidate in the governorship election.

Inyang noted that according to the APC guidelines for the conduct of the 2019 governorship primaries, the results were expected to be declared by the returning officer for the pre-election, Governor Mai Kala Buni of Yobe State and not Senator Emmanuel Ochega, Secretary of the election Committee.

Inyang also held that the APC violated its own rules in the composition of the election panel when it constituted a one-member committee and not seven members as stipulated in the party rules.

“It has been established by judicial authorities and several judgments that political parties are bound by their own rules, the committee that conducted the primary threw caution to the winds and it is my ruling that the primaries stand nullified.

“The results announced by Senator Emmanuel Ochega is not valid as he is not the returning officer for the election.

“And I make an order restraining INEC from recognising any of the aspirants that participated in the said primaries,” Inyang said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Lokpobiri had approached the court, to challenge the emergence of Lyon as the APC governorship candidate in the state.

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