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Politics of Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

BREAKING: Supreme Court rejects Timi Alaibe’s suit against Bayelsa gov, Diri

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State

The Supreme Court has on Tuesday, thrown out Timi Alaibe's suit challenging Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa emergence as the People Democratic Party's flag bearer in the 2019 election.

A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour dismissed the appeal.

Alaibe’s lawyer, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe, withdrew the appeal after the panel members pointed his attention to the fact that the issues raised in the appeal were not about the primary election but about an internal affair of the party.

Alaibe, who had lost the suit at both the Federal High Court in Owerri and the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, had in the suit challenged the participation of two delegates who voted in the primary that produced Diri as the party’s candidate.

In the preliminary inquiry preceding the hearing on Tuesday, the Justice Rhodes-Vivour panel informed Adedipe that his case could not be categorised as a pre-election case that a court could entertain but about an internal affair of the party which the court lacked jurisdiction to hear.

Adedipe then withdrew the suit and was struck out by the court.

Governor Duoye Diri was sworn in on February 14, a day after the Supreme Court sacked the former governor-elect of Bayelsa State, David Lyon, and his Deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo.

Following the sack, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was ordered by the court to withdraw the Certificate of Return from the All Progressives Congress candidates as the winner of the November 16, 2019 governorship election.

A fresh Certificate-of-Return was then issued to the candidate of the party with the next highest votes and with the required constitutional spread of votes in the results of the election, which was the PDP.

Diri was then sworn-in along with his Deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.