BAYELSA GUBER TUSSLE: LEGAL ACTION TO STOP PDP PRIMARIES COMMENCES

Ahead the ward congress slated for Saturday, November 12, to officially commence the governorship primaries in Bayelsa State, a fresh suit seeking to stop the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from conducting the primaries has been filed before Justice Geoffrey Botei of the Yenagoa High Court.

The suit, YHC/149/2011, filed Mr. Hinks Dumbo, one of the aspirants at the governorship primaries won by Governor Timipre Sylva in January, is seeking for an interlocutory injunction restraining the PDP from conducting any primary election for the purpose of tendering or fielding a candidate for any governorship election in Bayelsa State.

The development immediately threw the leading challenger, Mr. Henry Seriake Dickson's camp into series of meeting where a decision was taken to file a counter motion as it was suspected that the Governor Sylva's camp was behind the suit.

In the counter motion, Sylvanus Abila representing the PDP also prayed the court for an order striking out the suit on the fact that the issues raised by the claimant relating to the nomination and sponsorship of candidates of the PDP for primary election for office of the governor were non-justiceable issues lying outside the jurisdiction of the court.

Abila, while stating that Dumbo lacked locus standi noted that he had not established a cause of action against the defendant.

In his written address, Abila argued that the court would have assumed jurisdiction in the case if the primary election Sylva won was for the purpose of the forthcoming gubernatorial elections scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the month of February 2012. He further said the court would have been right to hear the case if Sylva's name as the winner of the said primary election for the purpose of the primary election were duly sent to INEC and his name had been or is being withdrawn or substituted with the name of another candidate.

Justice Botei adjourned the case to Tuesday, November 15 for the adoption of the written addresses.

Meanwhile, the camp of Dickson has been holding series of meetings planning for the ward congress in the bid to deliver their camp. Investigations revealed that a contact team had been formed with the sole responsibility to continue building consensus among stakeholders in the PDP.