Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa has ruled that the All Progressive Congress (APC) does not have a validly nominated candidate for the Saturday, November 16 governorship election.
Justice Jane Inyang ruling on the suit brought by a governorship aspirant and former Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, ruled that the APC did not conduct a primary election for its governorship candidate.
Lokpobiri had approached the court praying he should be declared the winner, having defeated David Lyon who was pronounced winner by the APC governorship election committee.
The counsel to Lokpobiri, Mr Fitzgerald Olorogun, has however described the judgment as “strange”, noting that the judgement by the court was not one of its prayers.
Sources close to the APC in Bayelsa State say the party hierarchy in an emergency meeting had instructed its lawyers to immediately appeal the judgment.