The Supreme Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, July 14, has dismissed Timi Alaibe’s appeal challenging the candidacy of Duoye Diri as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 2019 election in Bayelsa State.
Alaibe who had earlier lost a similar suit at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal is claiming that he is the authentic candidate of the PDP.
But the court dismissed the case on Tuesday, on the ground that it was a pre-election matter.
Recall that the Chairman of the PDP electoral panel and governor of Taraba State, Governor Darius Ishaku, had declared Diri winner after polling 561 votes to defeat his close rival, Ndutimi Alaibe who polled 365 votes.
Alaibe, dissatisfied with the declaration of Diri as Governor, had approached the High Court arguing that the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adopted a flawed process that led to the emergence of Diri as the PDP flagbearer.
Justice Tijani Ringim sitting at the Federal High Court Owerri had dismissed Alaibe’s suit declaring Diri as the winner of the primaries.
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Alaibe had proceeded to the Appeal Court to challenge the decision of the lower court and in a unanimous decision; the Appellant Court upheld the decision of the lower court.
Alaibe, however, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court arguing through his counsel S.T. Ologunorisa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) that the lower and the appellant courts erred in law by upholding the election of Diri as PDP candidate and pray that the apex court declares him the winner of the primaries.
