A fresh suit seeking the disqualification of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has commenced at a Federal High Court in.
This is coming less than nine days to the State governorship election. The suit, presented before Justice Emeka Nwite, sought an order of mandatory injunction, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to remove the names of Diri and Ewhrudjakpo as PDP’s candidates in the Nov. 11 poll.
The suit, filed by a Bayelsan woman, Blessing Clement Azibanagbal, through her lawyer, Ifeanyi Nsowu, further sought a declaration that Ewhrudjakpo was not qualified to run as deputy governor under the PDP.
Azibanagbal, in the originating summons dated Oct. 26 and filed on Oct. 30, sought a declaration that Ewhrudjakpo was also not qualified to be a running mate with Diri.
Besides, she prayed the court to declare that Ewhrudjakpo had multiple of names without any evidence to proof “that he is the same person.”
She, therefore, urged the court to declare that the PDP had no candidate in the poll.
The suit, which was brought under Rule 3, Order 9 of the FHC Civil Procedure Rules, 2019, sought “a declaration that the 3rd defendant (PDP) does not have any qualified candidate to run for the governorship election in Bayelsa.”
Recall that In 2019, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Bayelsa state deputy governor, won the petition filed by the Liberation Movement (LM) challenging his qualification in the state 2019 gubernatorial election.
The deputy governor said although his surname was misspelt by the NYSC, he has written to the body to make the appropriate correction.
The LM candidate, Vijah Opuama, had dragged Ewhrudjakpo to the Bayelsa electoral tribunal over defects of his name on his documents. Opuama had stated in his petition that there were disparities in Ewhrudjakpo’s name in his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
Azigbanabal said it would be in the interest of justice to grant the application as the defendants would not be prejudiced.
Nwosu, in an ex-parte motion seeking a leave to serve Diri and Ewhrudjakpo at the Government House in Bayelsa, through courier service, moved the application on Friday.
Like the suit filed by Opuama in 2019, this suit may fall like a pack of cards.
In the recent judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal verdict that was also upheld by the Supreme Court on the suit filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi against the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu; the Supreme Court, in the case of APC challenging Peter Obi that the Labour Party (LP), cannot field Obi as its presidential candidate, the Supreme Court ruled that ‘except an applicant that is a member of a political party who took part in the primaries of the party nomination process, any other person that challenges the candidacy of a party’s candidate is a meddlesome interloper. The nomination of a candidate is purely a party affair’. The suit filed by Blessing Clement Azibanagbal may be thrown out on the grounds that she is not a member of the PDP and therefore does not have the locus standi to file the suit.