Bayelsa guber: S’Court orders accelerated hearing of Alaibe’s appeal

By Vivian Okejeme

The Supreme Court, yesterday, ordered accelerated hearing in an appeal filed by Timi Alaibe against the Bayelsa State governor, Duoye Diri.
Alaibe is praying the Appeal Court to declare him the duly elected Governor of Bayelsa State.
At the resumed proceeding yesterday, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Diri, Emmanuel Enoedem and Chief Chris Uche (SAN), said they were not in opposition to the application by the appellant to regularise his processes.
The five-member panel presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko, asked the parties to regularize their processes having withdrawn two applications pending before the court.
Alaibe is challenging the election of Senator Duoye Diri as the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the February governorship election in Bayelsa State.
Alaibe had dragged the party to Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt disagreeing with the election of 3-man delegates.
But shortly after the court declined jurisdiction, he withdrew the case and participated, and eventually lost.
Alaibe then proceeded to the Federal High Court, Owerri, where he prayed the court to nullify the primary election that produced Diri.
Sequel to that, Alaibe headed to the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, which in May, 2020, dismissed his appeal, dismissing his prayer that fresh PDP governorship primary election be conducted.
However, the hearing couldn’t hold yesterday, as the appellate court asked counsel to Alaibe, S.T. Ologunorisa, to regularize his processes, having withdrawn two applications which were not opposed by the lawyer to the defendant.