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There is another political tension brewing in Bayelsa State as the judgment on a pending suit over the disputed governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) .
The suit filed by for former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and one-time Presidential Adviser on Amnesty Programme, Chief Timi Alaibe is contesting the electoral process that produced Governor Douye Diri as governor of Bayelsa State.
The case between Diri and Alaibe comes up (Tomorrow) Tuesday, March 10 at the Federal High Court, Owerri in the suit challenging his eligibility, validity and legality.
Alaibe is calling for the voiding of Diri’s candidature on grounds that it was illegally, inappropriately and ineligibly procured.
Chief Alaibe who is urging the court to declare him(Alaibe winner) because he complied with the eligibility and legal requirements known to law and the party guidelines for emergence of governorship candidates, posits that Diri, on the contrary, violated those provisions known to Law and the party guidelines.
Alaibe is said to anchor a major plank of his case on grounds that the PDP consequently committed electoral, and constitutional illegality by blatantly allowing local government chairmen, councilors , and all shades of ineligible persons to vote during the PDP governorship primaries in sharp contrast, and utter violation of the party’s guidelines which do not permit elected chairmen and councilors elected within 90 days to the election, to vote during governorship primaries.
Sources hinted that this development has thrown up much anxiety in Bayelsa State with the camps of former Governor Seriake Dickson and Governor Diri allegedly reaching out to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to reportedly prevail on the former NDDC helmsman to soft-pedal and pick up the Senate seat vacated by Diri, preparatory for a fresh governorship contest in 2023.
Recall that Diri, had visited former President Obasanjo at Abeokuta around 5:45 pm last week Sunday, and held a closed-door meeting with the former Nigerian leader for about 20 minutes. On the visit, the Bayelsa Governor was quoted as saying: “I have come to greet my father, our father, who is actually the father of Nigeria and Africa. I have come to felicitate him on his forthcoming birthday.”
Recall that the Supreme Court had recently declared PDP as winner of the Bayelsa State governorship polls, which had Diri as its candidate in the November 16 governorship election. The Supreme court’s decision had invalidated Chief David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) election who was earlier declared as the winner and governor-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Bayelsa State governorship elections.