Bayelsa: Supreme Court Affirms Election Of David Lyon As APC Candidate

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the appeal filed by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri challenging the declaration of David Lyon as the flag bearer of the APC in Bayelsa State.

In a unanimous judgment read by Inyang Okoro, the five member panel held that section 285 subsections 9 of the 1999 constitution as amended does not admit any elongation of time, when it comes to pre-election matters.

The court said “Any party seeking redress must file within the 14 days period”

Delivering the lead judgement of the apex court, Justice Inyang Okoro affirmed the January 11, 2020 judgement of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, which had held that Lokpobiri’s suit challenging Lyon’s victory in the primary election was filed out of time at the Federal High Court, Yenogoa.

The Federal High Court in Yenegoa had in its judgment delivered on November 14, 2019, upheld Lokpobiri’s case and nullified Lyon’s nomination as the APC’s candidate for the November 17, 2019 governorship election in the state.

But the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, on January 11, 2019, upturned the Federal High Court judgement and affirmed Lyon’s nomination.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Court of Appeal’s judgement laying to rest the dispute about the APC’s nominated candidate for the governorship poll.