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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has said the desperation of some governorship aspirants within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) cannot stop the local government election, insisting that it will hold as scheduled on August 10.
Investigations revealed that intrigues over the governorship primary slated for September 3 had made the local government election become crucial because of the pivotal role the eight council chairmen and 105 councillors would play as delegates to the election.
Justice Venchak Gaba of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court had given the restraining order in a ruling on an ex parte motion marked: M/7079/19 brought by Micah Akeems and the National Rescue Movement (NRM), stopping the conduct of the election and adjourned the matter to October 9 for hearing.
Sources said intelligence reports available to the party leadership indicated that some governorship aspirants, working in tandem with some chieftains of the party, are behind the suit so as to ensure the council chairmen and councillors are not part of the governorship primary.
A Yenagoa High Court has also adopted out of court settlement terms by parties in a suit instituted against the governor, Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC), the state government and attorney general by Accord Party and nine others, thereby clearing the way for the conduct of the poll.
Dickson, speaking on the plan to conduct the election, said the antics of some PDP big wigs and the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to boycott the election would not affect its credibility.
“What happened was unfortunate. It showed the desperation of some politicians in the state. I know people who are planning to forge identities of delegates.
“You can imagine how they can come within the party to frustrate local government election,” he said.
BYSIEC Commissioner for Legal Services, Marshal Abraham, had said the judgement of the Yenagoa High Court conferred legal competence on the commission to carry on with processes of the council elections slated for August 10, emphasising that the date remains sacrosanct.
He said an ex parte order granted NRM by an Abuja High Court on conduct of the elections lasted only seven days, and with the substantive judgement delivered in Yenagoa on July 24, 2019; there is no legal constraint in conducting the August 10 local government elections in Bayelsa State.
