BAYELSA: Disqualification of APC candidate victory for democracy —PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday mocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) after its governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, David Lyon, was ruled out of the election by a Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The court’s ruling came barely 48 hours after Lyon’s running mate, Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo, was also disqualified by the court for presenting false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that the development pointed to nothing but victory for democracy.

It said manipulators “cannot continue to have their way in our electoral process.”

The party also tasked INEC to immediately delist the APC from the ballot as “any vote cast for that party would be a wasted vote since the court judgments have made it clear that the APC is not in the election.”

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The PDP reminded the Commission that two decisions of courts of competent jurisdiction have negated the participation of the APC in the race.

The statement read: “The first was the judgment disqualifying the APC candidates over the presentation of false documents by the deputy governorship candidate, Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo, which was followed by another judgment, nullifying the entirety of the APC primary that produced the candidates.

“It is therefore trite law that given the circumstances that have entangled the candidature of the APC, the party, accordingly, has no place in the November 16 governorship election and cannot lay claim to any vote.”

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