Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A Yenagoa High Court has adopted out of Court settlement terms for parties in a suit instituted against Bayelsa State governor, Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC), the government and the attorney general by Accord Party (AP) and nine others.
The petitioners, including Victor Fisi, AP chairman, were among other things praying the court to declare that: “the failure and refusal to conduct local government elections is unlawful; and also that appointment of local government caretaker committees is illegal, null and void.”
They further asked the court, presided over by Justice Y. E. Ogola, for an order setting aside the appointments of local government caretaker committees; and an injunction restraining the defendants by themselves or through persons appointed by them from withdrawing, using, spending or allocating funds of the local government areas.
However, following series of negotiations for amicable out of court settlement by both parties they, among other things, mutually agreed to ask the court to grant “an order directing the defendants to immediately conduct the said local government elections in Bayelsa State.”
In his reaction to the ruling, Commissioner for Legal Services in BYSIEC, Marshal Abraham, said it has conferred legal competence on the commission to carry on with processes of the council elections slated for August 10, emphasising that the date remains sacrosanct.
Abraham equally explained that an ex parte order granted some persons by an Abuja High Court on conduct of the elections lasted only seven days, and with the substantive judgement delivered in Yenagoa on July 24, there is no legal constraint concerning the August 10 local government elections in Bayelsa State.