Bayelsa guber: APC risks repeat of Rivers, Zamfara experience as litigations pile up over its primaries

Godwin Tsa, Abuja

 

The barrage of litigations within the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Bayelsa State over the outcome of the November 16 governorship primaries may cost the party the governorship position as was the case in Rivers and Zamfara states.

The situation is aggravated by the continued evasion of court processes by the APC governorship flag bearer Hon. David Lyon and his deputy.

In one of the pending suits, Peter Ozobo and another Bayelsa State APC stakeholder had dragged Hon. Lyon and Degi Biobarakuma to court claiming a default in the conduct of the party primaries as it did not follow the approved guidelines.

In the suits filed at the registry of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1095 Ozobo and others are seeking the disqualifications of the candidate claiming that they did not hold direct primary elections at the wards in the state and the exclusion of the majority of the party members from voting in the election.

They are also alleging that results were written at the wards where primaries did not hold.

In addition the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) gubernatorial candidate and his deputy Senators Duoye Diri and Sen. Lawrence, are also seeking the leave of the court to disqualify their APC candidates for being wrongfully nominated by their party.

In the two cases, Hon. Lyon, it was learnt, had remained very evasive also dodging court bailiffs who arrived in Yenogoa, the state capital to serve them the court processes.

The bailiff, one Mr Victor, who went to Yenagoa was directed to return to Abuja to meet them at the Nicon Luxury Hotel Area 11 on Thursday and later rerouted them to the Abuja home of the Minister of Petroleum Resounces, Chief Timipre Sylva and again they directed the bailiff to go to Yenagoa and wait for them as they could not receive it in Abuja.

Our correspondents reports that the dribbling and dodging of the bailiff has already angered the court. It was similar abuse and disregard of court processes that denied the APC fielding candidates in Rivers State in the last election and the forfeiting of Zamfara State to PDP by the ruling APC in the state.