Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri has condemned the recent attack on a Justice of the Supreme Court,Justice Mary Odili over the discharge of her constitutional duties.
Diri in his maiden state wide broadcast thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for not yielding to pressure to interfere with the legal processes that saw his emergence.
“We strongly condemn the sponsored attacks on the Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, particularly the attack on Hon. Justice Mary Odili in the discharge of their constitutional duties.
“In our view, this is a serious desecration of a sacred national institution such as the judiciary,” he stated.
Senator Diri also called on all stakeholders in the state to join hands with his administration to address the challenges facing Bayelsa State.
“There may be those who think that some things could have been done better or even differently. As humans we remain fallible. Let us put our differences behind us. We therefore extend our hands of fellowship to all stakeholders and progressive minded individuals to join hands with us to consolidate the building of the Bayelsa of our dream.”
In a separate development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political parties to ensure that credentials of candidates vying for political offices under their platform were diligently screened before presenting such candidates to the commission.
The electoral umpire said the advice became necessary to avoid the Bayelsa State situation during the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu gave the advice at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) in Abuja.
Recall that the Supreme Court had recently sacked the former governor-elect of Bayelsa State, David Lyon, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the grounds that his Deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo presented a forged certificate to INEC.
The apex court had held that since Degi-Eremieoyo shared a joint ticket with Lyon, his disqualification invalidated their nomination by the APC.
Yakubu explained that such scenario could be avoided when political parties observe diligence in screening their candidates, saying it would also lead to reduction in protracted litigations and situation where outcomes of elections are determined by court orders.
He insisted that dates selected for primary elections for Edo and Ondo governorship polls were sacrosanct, adding that INEC would rigorously monitor the primaries and apply sanctions where necessary.