A frontline governorship aspirant in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Bayelsa governorship primary election and former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Ndutimi Alaibe, has dragged the party to court over the September 3 polls.

Alaibe, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Yenagoa Division, has applied for the cancellation of the result of the primary election based on cited procedural flaws and a court order for the conduct of fresh primary elections for the nomination and sponsorship of the candidate for the governorship election in Bayelsa State.

Asides from the PDP, the suit had also listed as defendants Senator Douye Diri, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Embeleakpo Alale for himself and representing the elected local government chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors of the PDP allowed to be delegates at the elective State Congress of the PDP in Bayelsa State held on September 3, 2019.

A statement by the Administrative Secretary of the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation, Prof Seiyefa Brisibe, noted that it has raised objections against what it described as crass disrespect for legal procedures and party guidelines in the build-up to the conduct of the governorship primary election by the state chapter of the PDP, adding that the objection covered open disobedience to the party constitution and electoral guidelines and the manner in which ward congresses were conducted, among others.

“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 Peoples Democratic Party 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. Citing specific sections of relevant laws and guidelines, Alaibe is asking the court to examine the entire processes that resulted in the primaries and rule in his favour in the light of violations committed in a desperate move to impose a pre-determined hand-picked candidate on the people out of 21 aspirant,” Brisibe said in the statement. (Saturday Sun)

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