The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed the appeal filed by former Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, against the candidacy of Bayelsa State Governor-elect, David Lyon. Lokpobiri and Lyon are both members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, but he (Lokpobiri) had approached the court challenging Lyon’s candidacy against all entreaties. The five-man panel of Supreme Court justices led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili, unanimously dismissed the appeal wherein Lokpobiri sought to be declared the winner of the September 4, 2019, primary election of the APC in the state. Justice Isaiah Olufemi, who read the judgment, said Lokpobiri filed the suit out of time, as he failed to comply with the statutory 14 days period. Consequently, it dismissed the main appeal filed by Lokpobiri, wherein he prayed the court to declare him the authentic APC flag bearer in the November 16, 2019, Bayelsa State gubernatorial election.

Source: The Guardian February 12, 2020 06:32 UTC