A’court halts judgement disqualifying APC from Bayelsa guber poll

The court of appeal has suspended the judgement of a federal high court in Abuja which disqualified David Lyon, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Bayelsa state.

In an order issued on Wednesday, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, nullified Lyon’s nomination as the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming election over failure to field a qualified deputy governorship candidate in the election.

The court order, a copy of which was obtained by TheCable, also restricted the APC from fielding any other governorship or deputy governorship candidate for the poll.

The judge had earlier disqualified Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, the party’s deputy governorship candidate, over “false information” submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the November 16 election.

He had said Degi-Eremienyo gave false information in relation to his educational qualifications and went ahead to depose to an affidavit to correct the discrepancies.

This followed a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeking his disqualification.

But the APC headed to the appeal court which ordered a stay of execution pending November 20 when the motion would be heard.

With the development, the APC has just one obstacle to clear in order to participate in the election.

On Thursday, a federal high court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital, annulled the primary which produced Lyon.

She also ordered INEC not to recognise any aspirant which partook in the primary.

Heineken Lokopobiri, an aspirant, had filed a suit to challenge the emergence of Lyon as the party’s flagbearer.