Supreme Court fixes Wednesday to hear APC’s request for Bayelsa judgment review

The Supreme Court will on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, hear the application of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a review of its judgement that nullified the victory of the party’s governorship candidate, David Lyon.

According to Punch, the parties to the case have been served with the notice for the hearing on Wednesday.

On February 13, 2020, the apex court annulled the election of the APC candidate, David Lyon in the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa state on the ground that his running mate, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo submitted forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).

The court ruled that the disqualification of Degi-Eremienyo’s candidacy nullified the joint ticket held by him and Lyon.

Senator Biobarakuma-Degi-Eremienyo was denied the chance of becoming the Deputy President of Bayelsa State because he presented documents with five different names to INEC. (ICIR) Pulse Nigeria

However, the lawyers of the APC, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) have contended that the Supreme Court gave a wrong interpretation to the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which was affirmed in its February 13, 2020 verdict, Punch reports.

Olanipekun argued that the November 12, 2019 verdict of the Federal High Court affirmed by the apex court did not nullify the party’s ticket, adding that the Supreme Court denied the APC fair hearing by disqualifying its governorship candidate.

“In this honourable court’s judgment of February 13, 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,” the party stated.

The APC also maintained that the apex court lacked the jurisdiction to give the order it gave.