By Emeka Alex Duru
By making statements considered inflammatory and capable of causing disaffection in Bayelsa over the Supreme Court judgement, Nigerians have warned the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, against causing disaffection in the state. The Apex Court had nullified the election of David Lyon and his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, who were already preparing to be inaugurated into office on Friday, February 14.
A Federal High Court in Abuja, had on November 12, 2019 disqualified Lyon’s running mate, Degi-Eremienyo in the election for submitting forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The judgement was upheld by the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had infected the joint ticket with which he and the governorship candidate, Lyon, ran for and won the November 16, 2019.
The five-man panel of the Court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to the APC candidates as the winners of the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state.
It ordered INEC to issue fresh certificates to the candidates of the party with the next highest votes and with the required constitutional spread of votes in the results of the election. That was the PDP and its candidate, Douye Diri.
But reacting to the judgement, Oshiomhole vowed that Duoye Diri, candidate of the PDP in the November governorship election in Bayelsa, will not be sworn in.
Oshiomhole argued that the PDP candidate did not meet the court’s requirement to be sworn in as governor. According to him, the Supreme Court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Lyon and present another to the candidate, who met the required spread in the election but no candidate in the election that met the requirement apart from Lyon.
Reacting to the development, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has called on the Federal Government to warn the Oshiomhole to stop making inflammatory remarks capable of destabilising the country. Wike also berated the APC National Chairman for saying that there will be no swearing-in of the PDP Candidate in Bayelsa State, saying he has no such powers.
He said: “The Federal Government should warn Oshiomhole to stop making remarks that will destabilise Nigeria. What he is doing in Edo State is not proper and he should not bring it to the rest of the Niger Delta.”
He said that Oshiomhole lacks the power to make pronouncements after the Supreme Court has ruled on the Bayelsa matter.
A Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, Lagos State University, Ojo, who asked not to be mentioned, said that by making the unguarded statement, Oshiomhole should be held responsible for any incidence of breakdown of order in Bayelsa. “The Police should now be inviting him to make further explanation on the irresponsible comments. He should be held responsible for any incidence of breakdown of law and order in Bayelsa”, he said.
Meanwhile, PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as received the judgment of the Supreme Court restoring its mandate in the Bayelsa state governorship election but insists that the Apex Court must right the wrongs in the Imo state governorship election judgment. The Apex Court had on January 14, declared Hope Uzodimma the rightful winner of Imo governorship election, in place of Emeka Ihedioha, who had earlier been sworn in.
In a statement by its National Publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party says the Bayelsa judgment will not change the course of its demand that the Supreme Court rectifies the manifest and widely rejected mistakes contained in its judgment on the Imo state governorship election.
“Our party insists that the Supreme Court will be redeeming its image and restoring public confidence on its infallibility by reviewing the Imo verdict given the manifold unjustifiable mistakes contained in that judgment”, PDP stated.
INEC, on its own, stated that it was yet to receive a copy of the Supreme Court judgement, adding that when it is officially notified about the development, it will adhere to the ruling of the Court
