Tribunal Dismisses Case Against Bayelsa Gov

Bayelsa State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Yenagoa has ruled Hon. Seriake Dickson was eligibly nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party for the February 11 governorship election     in   the state..

Giving their decision on Wednesday the three-member panel, led by Justice Muhammad Ibrahim, struck out the petition brought before it by the candidate for the Change Advocacy Party, Mr. Umoru Kubor, saying it lacked merit.

Justice Ibrahim described the grounds of the petition and the reliefs sought by the petitioner as “ridiculous”.

He cited the amended Electoral Act 2010 and the Nigerian Constitution as the laws regulating the conduct of the governorship election, and that Section 31 of the Act confers on registered political parties the exclusive right to nominate candidates for the election.

He also dismissed the claim by the petitioner that a Federal High Court in Abuja had in a suit between the former governor Timipre Sylva and the PDP made an order restraining the PDP from conducting the primary election won by Dickson.

Ibrahim said, “Our understanding of the judgment of the Federal High Court which was tendered as exhibit E is that the injunction sought was not granted.

“The defendants were only asked to show cause why the order sought would not be granted. No injunctive order of any kind was issued in that suit.”

He, however, said even if there was an injunctive order, “disobedience of a court order cannot lead to the disqualification of a candidate for an election even though it had its own consequences.”

He further judged that the “potency or impotency of the court’s order” has been set aside by the Court of Appeal on January 7.

The panel therefore throw away the suit for lack of merits.