Court hears new litigation to stop Governor Diri’s run for governor

A new lawsuit demanding the disqualification of Governor Douye Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has been filed at a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, with less than nine days until the Bayelsa governorship election.

The lawsuit, which is now pending before Justice Emeka Nwite, requested an order of mandatory injunction compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strike Diri and Ewhrudjakpo from the list of PDP candidates for the election scheduled for November 11.

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Additionally, it requested a perpetual injunction to prevent INEC, its representatives, privies, or anybody else from releasing their names as party standard bearers in the upcoming Bayelsa election.

Through her attorney, Ifeanyi Nsowu, a Bayelsan woman named Blessing Clement Azibanagbal filed the action, which was marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1448/23. She also requested a ruling that Ewhrudjakpo was unable to compete for deputy governor under the PDP.

In the initial summons dated October 26 and submitted on October 30, Azibanagbal requested a ruling stating that Ewhrudjakpo lacked the necessary qualifications to be Diri’s running mate.

Furthermore, she begged the court to rule that Ewhrudjakpo was not the same person despite going by several names.

She consequently implored the court to rule that the PDP was not fielding a candidate for the election.

The lawsuit requested “a declaration that the third defendant (PDP) does not have any qualified candidate to run for the governorship election in Bayelsa,” pursuant to Rule 3, Order 9 of the FHC Civil Procedure Rules, 2019.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the first, second, and fourth defendants in the case are Gov. Diri, Ewhrudjakpo, the PDP, and INEC.
Azibanagbal posed five questions for consideration, including whether it is permissible under the 1999 Constitution for a person with a first-time school leaving certificate to compete for governor of a state.

“Is it possible to disqualify both candidates if the first defendant (Diri) and the third defendant (PDP) fail to present a candidate who is eligible to contest for a state’s governorship?

“Whether a candidate can run for governor of a state if they have multiple names and no supporting documentation for them.”Whether the second defendant, Ewhrudjakpo, is eligible to run for deputy governor of Bayelsa State despite only having his first school leaving certificate on file in his Form EC9 filed with INEC.

The question on whether this honourable court has the authority to order the fourth defendant to take the names of the first and second defendants off of the ballots for the upcoming Bayelsa State governorship election was stated in the consideration of points 1 through 4 above.

The Judge then postponed the matter’s hearing until November 30.