BAYELSA JUDICIARY TO OPEN COURTS WEDNESDAY WITH INNOVATIONS UNDER COVID-19 GUIDELINESs.

The Solicitor General/Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice of Bayelsa State, Preye Agedah had said that the Judiciary is now fully set to re-open all Courts in the State for easy dispensation of Justice.

He stated this during an interview with the Golden Newspaper in his office at the Secretariat Complex, in the all Ijaw State capital Yenagoa.

The Solicitor General who explained that, from Wednesday, 27th May, 2020 the judicial system will be fully operational through out the State as against the period of COVID-19 total lockdown, made a  revelation that the justicial system had never been shut down totally as it was being insinuated Hear him:

" The justice system was never suspended totally because of the Coronavirus pandemic in our state, the Courts were always there, but they dealt only with criminal cases.at the peak of the COVID-19 in the State. Such criminal cases, in which accused or defendants were in custody, and the number increasing; if there was no court to decide criminal cases, the custodial centers must have been congested, against the rules and guidelines of COVID-19."

Preye Agedah who noted with concern, went further to say that:

"The concentration is always in response to the COVID-19 pandemic so that anybody who aught not be in prison or custody, assuming they tried his case and he is discharged and aquited, that person returns home. That ofcourse is decongestion. If a person has a good reason to be there because the court finds him guilty, he should be there.

"We the Lawyers, as the Judiciary  came up with that  we have been going to Court. I personally had been to Court of appeal twice, some of my colleagues also went to appeal Court to deal with criminal cases before them in Port Harcourt.

"The idea  was also to see if the custodial centers could be decongested, if somebody has been convicted by trial Court as of merit, appealed and the  person discharged and aquited he goes home and the custodial centre is decongested like I said earlier; if the custodial centre like Okaka prison was congested, and virus enters there, that  could have been disastrous to the State. So, we were going to court to effect timely dispensation of Justice, especially with criminal cases."

The Permanent Secretary stated  unequivocally that civil cases like land cases, contract cases etc. were suspended which made it appear as though there were no legal activities during this COVID-19 period, but from next week Wednesday, 27th May, 2020, after the public holiday, the Courts are coming up with new practice,.new direction.

On how the Courts can resume fully, to give attention to all kinds of cases: criminal,.civil, contract cases etc. with innovations read :

"There will also be virtual hearing, which for instance, when you have filed your address in court and wants to adopt it, or the court is going to deliver a ruling on a case, as a counsel you don't have to go to the Court, because you can do it right in your office, by connecting on an online platform, the Court will deliver it's ruling... without you necessarily being present in Court."

Preye Agedah was emphatic on strict compliance to the rules of COVID-19, which has to do with social distancing, wearing face masks, application of sanitizers before entering the court etc.

He used the medium to call on people of the state to obey the rules and guidelines announced by Government as a measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the state, making it clear that anymore who flouts government orders may be considered to have committed a crime and may be arrested and prosecuted.according to law.

He has therefore given a word of caution to the masses.thus:

"Those who defied the COVID-19 rules could not say, they didn't commit a offence, because anybody who disobeys law committed an offence punishable by law . Therefore our people need to be law abiding so as not to fall victim to arrest, to trial and convictions because of flouting government orders on the rules of Coronavirus" 

BAYELSA PDP GOVT. DEMOLISHES FORMER PDP STATE CHAIRMAN'S HOTEL, TURNS STOREY BUILDING TO RUBBLES AT SWALI

The government of Bayelsa State led by Senator Douye Diri has come under serious criticism and condemnation following what observers described as unwarranted demolition and destruction of properties of the common man worth mi

llions of Naira.

Just last week, Senator Douye Diri the Governor of Bayelsa State was said to had released a number of bulldozers to the neighborhood of Swali market in the Yenagoa metropolis without prior notice to the inhabitants, and brazenly demolished market stalls, houses, including a building belonging to a former State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Darius Obiene-Dede, who when contacted for his comments has this to say:

"I was not happy when the news came to me, even now, am not happy. But as a party man, have formally complained to the leaders of the party, the former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the immediate passed Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson, I believe at the end of the day, justice will be done officially and formally. 

"I believe, compensation has to be paid for the properties destroyed even if the governor has good intentions to make use of the place for a better purpose, he has to compensate the people for their loses."

Chief Obiene-Dede who is also the President of the Common man Foundation gave a graphic picture of his demolished house, saying that it was:

"A storey building with a conference hall upstairs, and the down, had a barbing saloon, a hair dressing saloon, a laundry, a super market, and a gate house, that was part of my Hotel called "The Atlantic Choice Hotel I built in 1999 at Swali" 

"I was reliably informed that the Governor came to the place and directed that they should demolish...it, maybe he has a very useful project for Bayelsans, we have to wait patiently to see the outcome of what he is going to make out of it. We hope that the project he puts there under the platform of the PDP may benefit more Bayelsans than what I had..."

Chief Darius Obiene-Dede who clarified that there was no issue between the Governor, Senator Douye Diri and himself spoke with Golden Pen in these words:

"We had no problem, I was the Director General to late Keniebi Okoko Campaign Organization during the Governorship party primaries, and immediately after the primary and a winner emerged, all of us including my principal began to work with the Douye Diri Campaign Organization. My principal was the State Director of Finance and I was also a Director at the Senatorial level and all of us played roles in the Douye Diri Campaign Organization, we had no problem. "

On what he would do on the matter if the status quo be maintained, he said, he does not believe that the government will not do anything, but just leave it like that:

 "As a party man, I believe that the matter will be solved.

" I have deep respect for the learders of the PDP and am  waiting patiently to see the outcome of their intervention, I therefore  believe that the matter will be resolved amicably."

The former PDP Chairman concluded.

LATEST ON BAYELSA GOVERNORSHIP: NIGERIANS AWAIT IGP'S INVESTIGATION REPORT, AS LEGAL BATTLES CONTINUE IN TRIBUNAL AND SUPREME COURT

The last had not been heard of the Bayelsa State Governorship election of November 16, 2019 for the following reasons.

First of all, the APC had not given-up hope on regaining their electoral mandate to govern the Oil Rich Niger Delta State, Bayelsa because of an ongoing Investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of Police on the certificates of the deputy Governor elect of the APC, Senator.Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo, whose mandate was denied by the Supreme Court on widespread allegations of certificates forgery.

 Degi Eremienyo vehemently  denied the allegations and called on the Office of the IGP to investigate and verify the fact that he didn't forge any of his certificates and give true report of findings to vindicate him from the false allegations and accusations.

Secondly, there are still cases   pending in Courts, at the  Election Tribunal on the same November 16, 2019  BayelsaState Governorship election which the APC won with a wide margin of 352,552 votes as against the 143,172 votes of the PDP, but was denied by the Supreme Court 24hrs to inauguration, transferred the Peoples mandate to Douye Diri and Ewhrudjakpo as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa state.

But there has been disquiet within the PDP family, because of the sound of war drums being played there.

The disquiet indisputably had reached epic proportions, as one of the top contenders for the PDP ticket at the party's Governorship primary in Bayelsa, Mr. Timi Alaibe had filed an.appeal to the Supreme Court, against the procedures used in the election that led to the emergence of Senator Douye Diri as PDP flagbearer in the November 16, 2019 Governorship election.

Timi Alaibe, a former Director of Finance and Administration Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) turned politician, in the political ring wrestled with Douye Diri and other  PDP Governorship aspirants to secure the mandate of the flagbearer through constitutional means, but was denied due to what he described as irregularities, and had since been in Court seeking redress.

Timi Alaibe's move to the Apex Court is therefore not unconnected to establishing his position that:

"... the results of the primary was affected by inherent flaws bordering on disrespect for legal procedures and party guidelines.

"For instance for the provision of Section 50 (1) of the Party Constitution the authority to formulate guidelines all matters relating to the Governorship primary is vested in the NEC of the PDP. The election of adhoc deligates is one of such matters."

"... strangely the panel set up to undertake the exercise simpiy imposed . . a list of electoral and returning officers prepared by the state officers of the party.who are avowed members of the orchestrated Restoration Team. Thus the process was deliberately handed over to the Restoration Team... our protest was ignored."

Due to the strong allegations of irregularities, breach of

Constitution and guidelines at the Governorship primary, Timi Alaibe's move to the Supreme Court,  is a pointer to the fact that uncertainty surrounds who shall be Governor after the Supreme Court Judgement on this matter.

That is not all, there is another election case before the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal filed by the Governorship Candidate of the Liberation Movement (LM), Mr. Vijay Opuama against the deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who has been invited to appear before the Tribunal on  the 1st of June, 2020, according to media reports that reads:

"The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has invited Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo to appear before it at.the resumption of.it's sitting on 1 June 2020.

"The invitation which is in the form subpoena duces tecum (witness summons) issued by the Chairman of the Tribunal on 5th May 2020 directs, Ewhrudjakpo to appear in person and tender a.copy.of disputed National Youth Service Corps.(NYSC) certificate allegedly issued.in 1998"

In a related.development, it was reported that:

"An Abuja Area Court ordered the Department of State Security.to investigate the allegation of.forgery of a National Youth Service Certificate.levelled.against the deputy Governor.of Bayelsa State Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. that:

"An APC Chief in Bayelsa State, Benjamin Youdiowei had approached the Area Court in Lugbe Abuja alleging that Ewhrudjakpo presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission a.forged (NYSC) certificate with number 139708 dated February 2, 1998."

This is another matter that is so daicy, as to the direction of the pendulum of victory, who shall be the Governor of Bayelsa at the end of this case!

This is the question, begging for answers! 

That brings us to the question,  what will be the outcome of the Police Investigation of the Deputy Governor Elect., Senator Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo?

Nobody on planet earth had come out and claimed any of the names of the Deputy Governor elect or any of his certificates as belonging to anybody even at the peak of the controversial accusations and Supreme Court Judgement that sacked both Governor elect, David Lyon and himself the Deputy Governor elect.

There was tension everywhere in Nigeria, been the outcome of the Supreme Court Judgement, that culminated in countless interpretions and debates in many quarters, in which some positions cannot be undermined.

In his reaction to the Supreme Judgement that stopped the mandate of David Lyon and Biobarakuma Degi as Governor elect and Deputy Governor elect respectively, Nigerian Lawyer, Senior Advocate, Human and Peoples Rights Activist, Mr. Femi Falana faulted the Apex Court as.follows:

"What their Lordships aught to have done is to ask the Lawyers can you address us with respect to our jurisdiction?

The Electoral Act stipulates that upon the conclusion of an election and once candidates are declared any challenge in the conduct of qualification of the candidate shall be heard and determined by an Election Petition Tribunal... Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter saying it should have gone before the Election Petition Tribunal.'

Former Bayelsa State Governor and incumbent Oil Minister for State, Chief Timipre Sylva announced to those who cared to listen, how the Supreme Court Judgement devastated Degi Eremienyo remarked on a program with.Channels TV:

"... described the Court Judgement as a push of the deputy Governor elect to suicide... said that the disqualified Deputy Governor elect of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa State Governorship election, Senator Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo may commit suicide on accounts of doubts cast on his name by the case...."

"He confirmed that the deputy Governor elect... requested the police to investigate him to dissolve the allegation of forgery..."

Comrade  Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, said  there was nothing wrong with the documents of the deputy Governor elect,. Senator Biobarakuma Degi

 Eremienyo. Hear him:

"...the certificates presented by Mr. Degi Eremienyo to INEC when he contested for the Senate was the same he presented as Governorship candidate

"The qualification for being a Governor is the same qualification of being a Senator. It is the same documents that they used for his election as Senator that he provided to INEC. There is no evidence that he subtracted or added."

Oshiomhole posited.

Since the Police was invited by the Deputy Governor elect, Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo to investigate him, there had been great expectations for his vindication, but the Office of the Inspector General of Police is yet to come out with the findings.

BAYELSANS: STOP THAT CRAB ATTITUDE: LEAVE ENGR. WABOTE ALONE

If you put crabs in a container and keeps the cover open, none of them escape, because of pulling one another down, that exactly has been the story of the Ijaw people, mostly Bayelsa State.

It is not today, this demonic attitude or way of life is being exibited by the people of Bayelsa State.

They have penchance for writing petitions against their people long ago; especially those privileged to hold positions in governments;  at the Federal and State levels.

Sometime in Rivers State many years before the creation of Bayelsa State, tentatively in the 80s, when there was no elected Governor to pilot the affairs of the State, the Federal Government had nominated an Ijaw man, a Police Commissioner, Mr. Netima to be appointed Military Administrator of that State, the Ijaw people; especially those close to him raised alarm, wrote volume of petitions against him and the Federal Government regrettably substituted his name with a none indigenous, none Ijaw Military Administrator to the state. 

That was not a small lose to the rest of Ijaw people outside the greedy and wicked petition writers and or the entire people of Rivers State who lost that position to the Milad from another state.

It will be recalled that during the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Military Government transition to Civil rule program with  the two parties system experiment with  Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) was a most welcome development.

For the Governorship election in Rivers State on the platform of the NRC there were two strong contenders namely Chief Zebulon Abule of blessed memory and Chief.Rufus Ada-George. Though both gladiators were Ijaw illustrious sons of old Rivers State then, Chief Zebulon Abule came from present day Bayelsa State, while Chief Ada-George came from Okrika in present day Rivers State.

The NRC governorship primaries keenly contested was won by Chief Abule and those that were so close to him, not pleased with his victory,

consequent upon which some of them, you can call them, if you like, 'brother killer Ijaw politicians', said, Chief Abule must be stopped, they conspired against him, wrote a frivolous petition to the Federal Military Government that he was not a nationalist and may not work with the Federal Government, with insinuations of his not to be a push around Governor if elected.

That was how he was blackmailed and disqualified as he was preparing for the general election, unceremoniously in a National News broadcast via Radio Nigeria, 4pm Network News, Chief Abule's disqualification was announced without reason which made way for Chief Ada-George emerged as the flag bearer, who won the election and became the 2nd elected Governor of the State.

 Like in the case of Netima, the modality to stop Abule was not different. The petition 'tigers and or lions', you may call them, came from the Bayelsa Ijaws.

It is on records that when Bayelsa was created, some of the Rivers people did not hide their feeling when they openly said: 'thank God! these petition writers have left us."

Some Ijaws must have forgotten what happened shortly when the first Military administrator of Bayelsa State, Navy Capt.  Philip Ayeni assumed duty and nominated commissioner designates from the eight Local Government Areas for screening, it was unbelievable the spate of petitions written  against almost all the commissioner nominees, except a few.

As a result of that, the Government issued a Press Statement signed by the then, Chief Press Secretary to the Military Administrator,. Mr.Fidelis Agbeki which called on petitioners to henceforth attach their passport pictures, post petitions with fixed addresses, append genuine signatures amongst other things.

That administration was not able to constitute cabinet until the Military Administrator, Navy Captain Ayeni took ill and left the State.

That was another evil the 'crabs'  of Ijaw of Bayelsa did, against the then baby. State

Today, we are hearing about conspiracies about some self seeking, faceless idiots flying kites, making useless comments concerning the office of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development Management Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote whose performance in office is being highly appreciated and commended by the masses for achieving practical and seeable evidences of the dividends of democracy.

Infact, Engr. Kesiye Wabote is a great man, a great leader, a humble leader, an administrative pacesetter, and of course  a creative Engineer who has made  the people of Ijaw nation in  general and Bayelsa in particular proud for establishing people oriented projects and all round productivity in the Niger Delta and other parts of the nation.

This crab mentality to pull down Ijaw leaders in office unjustly is very very sinful act as far as majority opinion and the bond of true Ijaw nationalism is concerned.

From careful observation one can say that this ' crabs attitude' against Ijaw leaders tantamounts stupidity, for which our supposedly enlightened Ijaw youths who are the leaders of the future should not allow themselves to be used to either cause confusion or disaffection amongst the people of Ijaw land.

The truth remains that Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has done well as Executive Secretary of (NCDMB) and needs to be given a path on the back by the people for his wonderful track record of achievements.