Factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva yesterday has filed a suit at the State High Court to stop the party’s primary election scheduled for November 19, asking the court to stop the party from conducting a fresh primary in the state.
The suit, YHC/07/2011, filed by an aide to the State Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General of the State, Mr. Mienyobofa Stephen-Gow, at the State High Court sitting in Yenagoa, has the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP as defendants.
In the suit dated July 7 whose next hearing is slated for November 7, Mr. Stephen-Gow wants the court to determine if INEC could lawfully direct the PDP to initiate a process of conducting a fresh primary election to nominate a governorship candidate of the party for the 2012 governorship election in the state.
He also seeks to know if the PDP could conduct another primary election having conducted a similar election for the same office in January 12.
?He further wants the court to determine whether Sylva, who had emerged as the candidate of the party for the April general election that was postponed by the judgement of the Court of Appeal, was not eligible to retain his candidacy for the February election.
He sought to know whether the court’s decision that prolonged the tenure of the governor “is not merely that the general election into the office of the governor is postponed and not that the political parties such as the PDP which had held their primary elections should hold another primary election.”
He, therefore, wants the court to declare that INEC has no right to ask PDP to hold a fresh primary election in view of a similar election that was conducted in January.
