Adedokun Waliyu 
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the appeal filed by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri challenging the declaration of David Lyon as the flag bearer of the APC in Bayelsa State.
A five-man panel of the court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by Heineken Lokpobiri, who had instituted his case seeking to be declared the valid winner of September 4, 2019, primary election of the All Progressives Congress.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Inyang Okoro of the apex court, held that section 285 subsections 9 of the 1999 constitution as amended does not admit any elongation of time, when it comes to pre-election matters.
The court said “Any party seeking redress must file within the 14 days period”
Reports have it that the appellant cause of action arose on 4th September when he was not declared the winner.
The court held that Lokpobiri’s appeal lacks merit and accordingly dismissed.
Lokpobiri who is a former Minister of State for Agriculture had approached the court, asking it to declare him, and not Lyon the authentic candidate of the APC.
Recall that, the Federal High Court in Yenegoa had in its judgment delivered on November 14, 2019, upheld Lokpobiri’s case and nullified Lyon’s nomination as the APC’s candidate for the November 17, 2019 governorship election in the state.
But the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, on January 11, 2019, upturned the Federal High Court judgement and affirmed Lyon’s nomination.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Court of Appeal’s judgement laying to rest the dispute about the APC’s nominated candidate for the governorship poll.
