All Progressives’ Congress begs electoral commission for fresh governorship election in bayelsa

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has demanded for a fresh election in Bayelsa State, arguing the swearing in of the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Douye Diri  as Governor was unconstitutional,  and that he did not meet the mandatory constitutional requirement .

Penpushing reports that, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Comrade Adams Oshimohole  in a letter of appeal to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC),  affirmed the supremacy of the  Supreme Court following the nullification of its Candidate Governorship victory, but argued that the sworn in Diri also failed to meet up the mandatory requirement to become a Governor.

The letter which is exclusively in custody of Penpushing was  forwarded to the National Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), and  titled,’ Judgment in Appeal No: SC.1/2020 between Peoples Democratic Party:  Request for conduct of fresh Governorship Election in Bayelsa State’, said the Court judgment did not void the votes that All Progressives Congress p polled at the election and the implication of this is that the votes of the party must be reckoned

‘Kindly recall that the Governorship election in Bayelsa State was conducted  on the 16th November,2019 and our great party, the All Progressives Congress duly participated at the said election You will  also recall that the All Progressives Congress emerged victorious at the election leading to our Lynon David Pereworinimi being declared and returned as winner as winner of the election’, the letter reads.

‘Our attention has been drawn to the judgement of the supreme court delivered on 14th February 2020 in the pre-election appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and its governorship as well as deputy governorship’ ,Oshimohole, wrote.

‘In the said judgment of the supreme court, the candidature of our governorship and deputy governorship candidates were nullified and the commission was ordered to issue fresh certificate of returns with the highest number of votes and with the required  geographical spread’.

‘ It is however to be noted that the supreme court did not void the votes that our party polled at the election and the implication of this is that the votes of the All Progressives Congress must be reckoned with in determining whether any other  candidate polled majority of lawful votes cast in one-quarter of at least two thirds majority of the state’.

‘We have reviewed the judgement of the supreme court and we are of the firm opinion that the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party cannot be issued certificate of return and or sworn in as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State respectively’.

‘We are aware of that section 179(1)(b) of the 1999 constitution of federal republic of Nigeria mandatorily requires a candidate  for an election to the office of governor of a state to have not less than one quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two thirds of all the local government areas in the state before the candidate can be deemed to have been duly elected as the Governor of the State. This mandatory requirement was affirmed by the supreme court in the judgment under reference’.

‘Bayelsa State has eight local government areas, hence the two thirds of at least the eight local government areas will be approximated to six local government areas. From the results announced and duly published by the commission, it is clear that no candidates meet this mandatory constitutional requirement, including the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party who only managed to poll one quarter of the votes cast in only five local government areas’.

‘Our position is fortified by the fact that there is a condition precedent to the winning being issued a certificate of return should not be issue the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party or any other candidate whatsoever, none satisfies the requirement of one quarter of the votes cast in at least 2/3 of the local government areas in the state as required by the supreme court judgment further request that a fresh election be conducted by the commission for the office of the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State’, the party emphasised