Politics
Your Appeal Needless Distraction, Stop Denigrating Judiciary, Diri Admonishes Sylva
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has described the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11, 2023 poll in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, as a needless distraction.
In his reaction shortly after the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja dismissed the application of Chief Sylva and the APC for lacking in merit, Governor Diri said the case was not only a distraction for him but for the entire state.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that he was not surprised about the outcome of the case given the character of the APC candidate.
He said the verdict was a victory for the people of the state and that he was ready to meet Chief Sylva at the Supreme Court.
“It (the appeal) is a distraction not only to me but also to the government and people of the state. You also know the character of the person involved. So this is not unexpected.
“However, it is victory for Bayelsa State and I do not think I want to waste my time calling on anybody to work with us. They already said they are going to the Supreme Court. So, we will meet them there”, he said.
Meanwhile, speaking with journalists shortly after the court session, counsel to Governor Diri, Mr. Chris Uche (SAN), explained that the appellant (Sylva) failed to provide evidence and that the verdict of the appeal court vindicated his legal team and the election tribunal, which earlier upheld Governor Diri’s election.
Mr Uche said by the victory, the governor can now concentrate on his service to people of the state and expressed the confidence that, given the facts of the case, the verdict of the Supreme Court will not be different.
Meanwhile, Governor Douye Diri, has admonished Chief Timipre Sylva to face the reality of his serial losses at the courts and stop casting aspersions on the judiciary.
The Tide reports that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja last Thursday, July 18, upheld the judgement of the Bayelsa State Election Petition Tribunal and affirmed the re-election of Senator Diri as governor of the state.
The appellate court ruled that Chief Sylva’s case lacked merit as he could not provide convincing evidence to invalidate the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that election did not hold in 182 polling units.
But, Chief Sylva, in a statement reacting to the judgement, accused the appellate court Justices of breaching several portions of the Nigerian Constitution.
He also said the judgement “sadly reflected some of the concerns expressed by the CJN recently.
“By referencing the “concerns” of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Sylva was trying to be smart by half. To be sure, there were no conflicts or inconsistencies in the judgement of the Appeal Court as the verdict was clear as crystal and consistent with the earlier judgement delivered by of the state election tribunal.
“After losing the November 11, 2023 governorship poll, Sylva poured dirt on INEC. Having lost at the tribunal and the appellate court, the APC candidate now acts the bad loser he is by denigrating the judiciary.
“For a man whose party already accepted defeat in the election, one wonders the “stolen mandate” that Sylva lays claim to. For us in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governorship poll was won through the overwhelming support and endorsement of the Bayelsa electorate. The well-delivered verdicts of the tribunal and appellate court have equally put a seal to the votes of the Bayelsa people. Sylva can only play to the gallery by whipping up sentiments to deceive those gullible enough to believe him.
“There are no two mandates in Bayelsa State and the overwhelming majority of people of our state know who has it. Sylva can only lay claim to a phantom, non-existent mandate.”
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
As the news of the defection of 17 members of Rivers State House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP )to the All Progressives Congress (APC) continue to make the rounds, a cross section of Rivers people who spoke to The Tide have expressed varying views regarding the development.
At Etche, a senior lecturer with the Rivers State University, who did not want his name in print, said even though defection was the right of politicians, peace and stability remained more fundamental than any action that could further challenge the fragile political situation in the state at the moment.
He also warned that the situation should not be used to witch-hunt any one, adding that the state had suffered enough and needed to be at peace.
In his reaction, Engr Polycarp Geoffrey said even though citizens and residents of the state had cause to be concerned about the decision of the lawmakers, there was nothing to worry about if it was done in good faith.
“I don’t think there is any big deal about it – defection is defection. But people are worried because of past events in the state. So, for me, I don’t see anything about it”, he said.
Engr Geoffrey also urged the Governor Siminalayi Fubara to also openly declare political affiliation in a bid to douse the political tension in the state and to provide clarity regarding his future political direction.
Another respondent, Mr Ebere Alex, alleged ulterior motive behind the law makers’ defection but urged both the law makers and the governor to work for the peace and development of the state.
However, speaking on the development, a chieftain of the PDP in the state, Hon Nname Ewor, told The Tide that said his party would reach out to the remaining lawmakers who have not defected.
He also denied an alleged internal squabble within the PDP, adding that there was no crisis in the party.
It would be recalled that 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Rt Hon. Martin Amaewhule, during plenary last Friday, announced their migration from the PDP to the APC, citing internal party crisis.
Other members who also defected were the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon. Dumle Maol, representing Gokana Constituency; House Leader, Hon. Major Jack, representing Akulga Constituency 1 and Deputy Leader, Hon. Linda Somiari-Stewart, representing Okrika Constituency; Hon. Solomon Wami, Port Harcourt Constituency 1 and Hon Granville Tekena Wellington representing Asari Toru Constituency 1; Hon. Ofiks Kagbang, representing Andoni Constituency; Hon. Peter Abbey representing Degema Constituency; Hon. Arnold Dennis representing Ogu/Bolo Constituency; Hon. Chimezie Nwankwor representing Etche Constituency 2 and Hon. Franklin Nwabochi representing Onelga Constituency 1.
The rest were, Hon. Azeru Opara, representing Port Harcourt Constituency 3; Hon. Smart Adoki representing Port Harcourt Constituency 2; Hon. Igwe Afforji ,Eleme Constituency and Hon. Lolo Opuende representing Akuku Toru Constituency 2.
By: John Bibor
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