An aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, who lost at the primaries, has filed a suit at a Federal High Court in Yenagoa, the state capital challenging the outcome of the poll.
The suit, with reference number FHC/YNG/CS/99/2019, has as defendants the PDP, its candidate, Senator Douye Diri, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and many others.
A statement Saturday, in Abuja, by the Administrative Secretary of the Alaibe’s Campaign Organisation, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe said the suit was filed on Friday, demanding cancellation of result of the polls for a fresh one to be held, based on alleged cited procedural flaws.
Alaibe is also praying the court to declare the entire process unconstitutional and the declaration of Senator Diri, who emerged as candidate, invalid, having allegedly failed to comply with relevant sections of the laws governing such processes.
The aspirant is seeking an order setting aside the “purported” submission of Senator Diri’s name to INEC by the PDP as its candidate for the election in view of the several alleged legal and procedural infractions cited.
According to the statement, Alaibe is also asking the court to examine the entire process that resulted in the primaries and rule in his favour in the light of alleged violations committed in a “desperate move to impose a pre-determined hand-picked candidate” on the people out of 21 aspirants.
“On Friday September 13, 2019, Alaibe approached the Federal High Court in Yenogoa Judicial Division, Bayelsa State with an application for cancellation of the result of the primary election based on cited procedural flaws.
“The suit filed pursuant to Order 3(9) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019, seeks answers to questions bordering on obvious non-adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2010, the PDP Constitution and Election Guidelines, by the State Chapter of the party in the conduct of the Ward Congresses, inclusion of local government council officials in the delegates list and the procedure for inclusion of three ad-hoc delegates.
“The former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs wants the court to determine whether the pre-election actions and inactions of the defendants satisfied conditions specified in relevant sections of Nigeria’s Constitution, the Electoral Acts and certain sections of the PDP Constitution,” he said.
