Bayelsa by-election: Dickson suffers huge blow as Supreme Court dismisses ex-governor's appeals

- Former governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, has lost a bid to stop the suit seeking his disqualification

- Dickson's election to represent Bayelsa West senatorial district has been a subject of litigation

- The apex court ruled that the suit filed against Dickson should be given an accelerated hearing

PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 9, struck out two appeals filed by former governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Nation reports that the suit was seeking Dickson's disqualification from contesting the concluded Bayelsa West senatorial district election.

Legit.ng gathered that Dickson had won the bye-election, adding that the appeals were on the January 7 verdict of the Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal.

The appellate court had held, among others, that the suit seeking Dickson’s disqualification was not statute-barred and should be given an accelerated hearing by the Federal High Court.

Read also

2023: Hope for Jonathan as Edo PDP makes case for south-south presidency

The report noted that a five-man panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Mary Odili, struck out both appeals after their lawyers, including Sir Friday Nwosu, agreed to formally withdraw the appeals.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Dickson warned his supporters and members of the PDP to stop criticising his successor, Governor Douye Diri, in public.

It was reported that in a statement he posted on Thursday, March 4, on social media, Dickson said such criticism was unacceptable, adding that an attack on Governor Diri was an attack on the government and the PDP.

Dickson, however, acknowledged complaints of non-inclusion of some PDP stalwarts who had worked with him (Dickson) in Diri’s government. The former governor gave an assurance that the issue was going to be addressed by Diri.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

Read also

Big blow for EFCC as court orders agency to return N9bn to former director

He said he had taken a decision not to influence the decision of his successor, adding that he believes a governor should take charge of his government without being remote-controlled.

In a related report, former president Goodluck Jonathan met with the party’s reconciliation and strategy committee as part of efforts to resolve the internal crisis within the PDP.

It was reported that the party had last year appointed former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, to head its national reconciliation committee.

.....

Wale Akinola is a passionate journalist and researcher. He works as a senior political/current affairs editor at Legit.ng. He holds both B.A and Master’s degree in Communications and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a Diploma Certificate in Peace Journalism. He has over 15 years of work experience in both print and online media. He derives joy in keeping the public abreast of current happenings locally and internationally through his writings.

Source: Legit.ng