BREAKING: Bayelsa Guber Review: Supreme Court Stands Down Judgement

Emmanuel AmudaFebruary 26, 2020

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The Supreme Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, February 26, set to rule on the fresh application by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking a review of the judgement of February 13 which sacked Bayelsa governor-elect, David Lyon.

A seven-member panel presided by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta announced a stand down of the application after listening to lawyers in the matter.

The APC returned to the Supreme Court with an application urging it to reverse its decision disqualifying its candidate in the last governorship election in Bayelsa State, Lyon David.

The party, in an application filed by its team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also wants the apex court to set aside the “wrong” interpretation given to its judgement of February 13, 2020 and its subsequent execution by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party is, among others, contending that the Supreme Court, in its judgement, misinterpreted the November 12, 2019 judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja which it (the Supreme Court) affirmed.

The APC argued that the Supreme Court acted without jurisdiction and denied the APC fair hearing when it proceeded to disqualify its governorship candidate even though the Federal High Court, in the judgement by Justice Inyang Ekwo, which the apex court affirmed, refused PDP’s prayer to disqualify Lyon.

The party also faulted the interpretation given to the apex court’s judgement by the INEC in deciding to issue the certificate of return to the candidate of the PDP.

“In this honourable court’s judgement of 13th February, 2020, the court erroneously and inadvertently stated that the trial High Court consequentially disqualified the applicant‘s governorship candidate even though the trial court made no such order and when the trial court indeed refused to grant the express orders sought by the plaintiffs therein for his disqualification,” APC averred.