By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
The Supreme Court, yesterday dismissed a suit filed by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Mr Timi Alaibe, challenging the emergence of Governor Douye Diri as the candidate of the PDP in the November 2019, governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The dismissal of the suit by a five-man panel of the court was following a dramatic withdrawal of the suit by the appellant.
Earlier, the Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour led panel held that the appeal was a pre-primary election issue, which is an internal affairs of the PDP. He maintained that they lack jurisdiction to hear the appeal.
The Apex court noted that the appellant premised the appeal on the process that produced delegates for the primary election and not the primary election itself.
The panel held that he never claimed to have won the primary election and as such his matter was a pre-primary election issue that the court cannot delve into.
At this point, counsel to Alaibe, Ifedayo Adedipe SAN, announced the withdrawal of the appeal and was subsequently dismissed.
Reacting shortly after the judgment, the state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Erhujakpor described the verdict as a triumph for democracy, adding that the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man in the country.
“Clearly and transparently, the justices have displayed their uprightness. The judges and the Supreme Court have displayed that indeed it is the last court in the Nigeria.
“I want to appreciate them and I believe and pray that God will continue to guide them, use them to do justice to all manners of people,” he said.
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