By Ibrahim Bakare
The Federal High Court, Yenagoa, on Thursday declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have a governorship candidate in the forthcoming election in Bayelsa State.
This
development is coming two days to the election.
The court
was presided over by Justice Jane Inyang.
The court declaration, on Thursday, was part of its judgement in a case filed by Heineken Lokpobiri, one of the APC governorship aspirants.
Mr Lokpobiri, a former minister of state for agriculture, had approached the court, asking it to declare him, and not David Lyon, the authentic candidate of the APC.
“The court pronounced that the governorship primary conducted by the APC in Bayelsa state was not done in compliance with the guidelines and the constitution of the party, and, therefore, the party has no candidate,” Mr Lokpobiri’s lawyer, Fitzgerald Olorogun, told reporters immediately after the court ruling.
A shocked Mr
Olorogun said the court declaration was not part of their prayers. “It’s
strange,” he said.
Asked what the
next option for his client was, Mr Olorogun said “We’ll do the needful. But for
now, the pronouncement of the court is that APC has no candidate.”
There was
heavy police presence within and outside the court premises. The main highway
way leading to the court was barricaded by the police. Visitors, including
journalists, were frisked before they were allowed to enter the court building.
Mr Lokpobiri, before now, has been urging the people of Bayelsa to vote for the APC in the November 16 election, despite his court case against Mr Lyon and the party.
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“I’m a very strong member of APC and I came today to formally tell our chairman and to speak to Nigerians, in particular, the electorate in Bayelsa that all of them should vote for APC regardless of what happens in the court case in which judgment is slated for Nov. 14, 2019,” the former minister said in Abuja after a courtesy visit on the national chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole.
“I told my
supporters even before I came here that no matter what happened, I will remain
in APC having served as a minister under this administration.
“There is no
way the outcome of the governorship primaries will make me leave APC. We are
working and campaigning at different levels.
“I always
advise that anybody that is grieved, the only place to go is the court.
