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A frontline aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe has asked the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State to void the primaries that produced Senator Douye Diri as the candidate of the party for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

Alaibe approached the court on September 13, 2019, with an application for cancellation of the result of the primary election over alleged procedural flaws.

The suit filed pursuant to Order 3(9) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019, seeks answers to questions bordering on obvious non-adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2010, the Peoples Democratic Party Constitution and Election Guidelines, by the State Chapter of the party in the conduct of the Ward Congresses, inclusion of local government council officials in the delegates list and the procedure for inclusion of three ad-hoc delegates.

Citing specific sections of relevant laws and guidelines, Alaibe is asking the court to examine the entire processes that resulted in the primaries and rule in his favour in the light of violations committed in a desperate move to impose a pre-determined hand-picked candidate on the people out of 21 aspirants.

The suit, with reference number FHC/YNG/CS/99/2019, has as defendants: the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Douye Diri, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Embeleakpo Alale for himself and representing the elected local government chairmen, vice-chairmen and councillors of the party allowed to be delegates at the elective State Congress of the PDP in Bayelsa State held on September 3, 2019.

Also joined in the suit as a defendant, is Doubra Kumokou, for himself and on behalf of the Three Ad-Hoc Delegates allowed to be delegates at the elective State Congress.

The former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs wants the court to determine whether the pre-election actions and inactions of the defendants satisfied conditions specified in relevant sections of Nigeria’s Constitution, the Electoral Acts and certain sections of the PDP constitution is Alaibe’s prayers that the entire processes be declared unconstitutional and the declaration of Senator Diri as the winner be declared invalid having failed to comply with relevant sections of the laws governing such processes.

He is also seeking an order setting aside the purported submission of Senator Diri’s name to INEC by the PDP as its candidate in the governorship election coming up on November 16, 2019, in view of the several legal and procedural infractions cited.

In view of this, he wants the court to order the conduct of fresh primary elections for the nomination and sponsorship of the candidate for the governorship election in Bayelsa State.

No date has yet been fixed for hearing in the case.

It would be recalled that the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation had raised objections against what it described as crass disrespect for legal procedures and party guidelines in the build-up to the conduct of the governorship primary election by the State Chapter of the PDP.

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