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.
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