… It doesn’t translate  to victory –Gov Dickson

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja yesterday granted the request by the former governor of the state and the All Progressives candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva to inspect some materials used for the December 5, 2015 and January 9, 2016 governorship election held in the State.
The Tribunal, however, refused the request by the petitioners for the inspection of some listed items including the final and interim report on Kogi State governorship election; Summary of total voter register; Video/audio record relating to the governorship election; election observers report and duplicate or receipt issued by INEC for verification of documents. But in a swift reaction, Governor Seriake Dickson said the request granted Sylva to inspect election materials would not change the fact that he was not wanted by the people of the state.
In a statement by his media aide, Francis Agbo, the governor stated “PDP is very confident of victory at the tribunal because Governor Henry Seriake Dickson won the December 5, 2015 and January 9, 2016 polls with valid votes, with a wide margin in the full glare of the world.
“Sylva is in the Tribunal to gasp for political oxygen and to use it to raise funds from unsuspecting APC chieftains for survival. Sylva can not win because his petition is watery and lacked content and since you can not build something on nothing, there are no grounds for pronouncing him governor.
Whereas APC is not on ground in Bayelsa, Sylva is a political reject and can not become governor through the back-door as boasted by the APC because he knows he lost the election and the tribunal can not make him governor from the blues.”
In the said motion  the petitioner, had through his counsel, Chief Sabastine Hon (SAN)  specifically sought an order of the tribunal to compel the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow him inspect election materials used for the polls.
Among the 37 materials sought to be inspected are the ballot papers used and thumb printed.
However, in his opposition to the request, governor Dickson urged the Tribunal to refuse the application for lacking in merit.
His lawyer, Oyetibo submitted that the prayers in the application of Sylva did not support what he wanted the Tribunal to do for him.
In his ruling yesterday,  Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kazeem Alogba ‎held that the request by the petitioners was in line with the provisions of section 151 (1) of the Electoral Act. He, however, refused to grant part of the request on the grounds that they are not relevant.
Meanwhile the tribunal has fixed April 14, 2016 for continuation of pre-trial proceedings.