Supreme Court, on Tuesday, dismissed Timi Alaibe’s appeal challenging the candidacy of Duoye Diri as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the November 2019 election in Bayelsa State.
The court dismissed Alaibe’s case on the ground that it was a pre-election matter.
The Court of Appeal, Owerri, Imo State, had in May this year dismissed an appeal filed by Alaibe challenging Diri’s emergence as the winner of the PDP governorship primary election in Bayelsa.
Alaibe, who was a governorship aspirant of the PDP in the 2019 election, had instituted a suit against the party, Diri and the Independent National Electoral Commission at the federal high court in Owerri.
On March 10, Justice Tijjani Ringim of the Federal High Court dismissed Alaibe’s suit for lacking merit.
The judge had held, “Evidence available to me indicates that the process leading to the emergence of Diri as the candidate of the PDP in the September 3 governorship primaries in Bayelsa was legitimate.
“I hereby dismiss this suit for lack of merit.”
Dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Alaibe proceeded to the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the judgment of the lower court and dismissed the suit for lacking merit.
On February 13, Diri was pronounced as Bayelsa state governor after the Supreme Court sacked David Lyon less than 24 hours before his inauguration as governor of the state.
The apex court hinged its decision on the grounds that Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, his running mate, submitted forged credentials to INEC.