INEC drops Seriake from Bayelsa guber  list, Sylva  hails move, heads to Supreme Court
Newsdiaryonline  Thur Jan 12,2012

 
Dickson :fate in the balance

The independent National Electoral Commission, INEC declined  naming  a candidate for the ruling PDP in its official list of candidates for  the Bayelsa state governorship election.In its official list posted on its website, INEC said the position of PDP governor and deputy were “subject to litigation.”
INEC actually failed to attend the primaries of PDP held in Yenagoa because the party defied a court order.The legal fireworks over the real candidate has continued with Governor Timipre Sylva insisting he is the PDP candidate.PDP chiefs led by President Goodluck Jonathan are known to be against Sylva’s return .Henry Seriake Dickson emerged as the favoured candidate  but INEC has refused to recognize him pending the determination of the legal tussle.

See the INEC list below with PDP  on number 28.

LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR 2012 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IN BAYELSA STATE

S/N POSITION NAME  SEX ` PARTY  AGE  QUALIFICATION

1. GOVERNOR CONSTANCE A. ALAORENE F ACD 68 B.SC.
DEPUTY PRINCE ASIMA EBARIOTU M ACD 56 WAEC

2. GOVERNOR KEMELA OBUOBOWI M ACN 49 FSLC
DEPUTY SALAGUO CHRISTIAN A. M ACN 59 WASC

3. GOVERNOR TARE-OUT ACTOR LUGARD M ADC 52 LLB,LD
DEPUTY CHIEF DR. EBINABO JIBSON I. M ADC 54 WAEC

4. GOVERNOR AMB. DR. MORRIS GABDIEL MAXWEL M APGA 38 NECO
DEPUTY FESTUS EBEREKUMOR M APGA 43 NCE

5. GOVERNOR CHF. AMON FRIDAY ARUSAIBAI M APS 39 SSCE
DEPUTY DR. ORIODOBWE SUNDAY M APS 36 HND. BUS ADMIN

6. GOVERNOR CHF. KENNETH GBALIGHA GBALIKMA M ARP 59 HND
DEPUTY TIMI DISEGHE OTONYE BOB M ARP 53 FSLC

7. GOVERNOR HON. BLACK ALADDIN EBIKESEYE M BNPP 48 WAEC
DEPUTY CHIEF OSEIN OSONKEIEN UTABIE M BNPP 47 WAEC

8. GOVERNOR IMORO KUBOR M PAP 62 WAEC
DEPUTY REV. OMEGHA JULIUS OWOWORIBO M PAP 54 B.SC.

9. GOVERNOR BELIEF TUODUOWE ABIRI M CDC 53 WAEC
DEPUTY AKONO ISSAC GABRIEL DAVID M CDC 31 WAEC

10. GOVERNOR FAMOUS O. BAUNEMAIGHA M CPC 41 WAEC
DEPUTY ALAWE O. JONAH M CPC 39 WAEC

11. GOVERNOR CHF. HON. JOHNSON A. OPUZI M CPN 63 ACEI
DEPUTY TARIGHA COLLINS M CPN 38 WAEC

12. GOVERNOR MRS. ANETORUFA PEREOTUBO F CPP 37 WAEC
DEPUTY GODHELPME KALAIGO M CPP 41 NECO

13. GOVERNOR CHF. OLOMUPIEYE M DPA 49 NECO
DEPUTY TONYE ODUM M DPA 43 GCE,FSLC

14. GOVERNOR MR. DIRIME JONAL C. M HDP 43 B.SC.
DEPUTY GILLIS TIMOTHY OLOMABO M HDP 38 WAEC

15. GOVERNOR GBOLUSERI LIVI EBIKEFI M JP 55 BA (ED)
DEPUTY OLYINGBO STANDFAST DONOLA M JP 56 B.SC. (ED)

16. GOVERNOR BODISEOWEI T. B. ATARI-ADOU M LP 40 SSCE
DEPUTY JOHNNY BENJAMIN M LP 39 SSCE

17. GOVERNOR BAR. BIPELEDEI EFIESEIMOKUMO M LDPN 35 LLB.BL
DEPUTY BIOBARAKUMO WILSON MRS. F LDPN 34 NCE

18. GOVERNOR ONAH REGINALD IWENGIGHABOYE M MDJ 57 HND
DEPUTY PRESIDOR JEFF YERIKEMA M MDJ 35 FSLC

19. GOVERNOR ODUDUOGWU O. EBAKUMOTUEBI M MPPP 56 WASC
DEPUTY JAMES OSAIN CHIEF M MPPP 56 WASC, GCE 

20. GOVERNOR OGOLI SOKAR VALENTINE M MRDD 56 WAEC
DEPUTY KENETH ABEKE M MRDD 54 M.SC.

21. GOVERNOR EMMANUEL I. JOSHUA M NAP 42 FSLC
DEPUTY EBIBOR TUBOULAYEFA M NAP 46 NECO

22. GOVERNOR ATEI BEREDUGO M NCP 46 WAEC
DEPUTY AKPELI LUCKY M NCP 40 WAEC

23. GOVERNOR CHF. GWEGWE RIGHTEOUS OKPOEBI M NDP 53 NCE
DEPUTY OZITI IBO M NDP 48 NECO

24. GOVERNOR ALAGOA TARIMFAGHA CLEMENT JOE M NMDP 58 PGPH,PH.Y
DEPUTY DEACONESS PERETU FELICIA F NMDP 42 ND.ACCT.

25. GOVERNOR ONYEKE J. ADAMU M NSDP 53 B.ED.
DEPUTY VICTOR B. EYOROROKUMO M NSDP 45 WAEC

26. GOVERNOR HIGH CHF. SHAGANU S. EBERIYE M PAC 59 MA. PHIL. ETHICS
DEPUTY OSAMAWEI DENNIS PARKER M PAC 49 B.SC. ACCT.

27. GOVEERNOR JEFREY EBIASUODE YOUNGBO M PDC 45 GCE
DEPUTY TIEKURO NDIOMU M PDC 43 WAEC

28. GOVERNOR SUBJECT TO LITIGATION PDP
DEPUTY SUBJECT TO LITIGATION PDP

29. GOVERNOR PATIENCE VINCENT F PMP 44 WAEC
DEPUTY OLALI SIMEON FAITH FAMEMEM F PMP 39 SSCE

30. GOVERNOR HENRY OYINBRAKEMIENDELY M PPA 52 LLB,LLM,MA
DEPUTY LADY ANNE YOUGHA F PPA 60 FSLC, GCE

31. GOVERNOR PRINCE KELVIN OPUENE C. ALAGOA M PPN 43 B.SC.
DEPUTY LAWRENCE KOREPUGHE M PPN 46 WAEC

32. GOVERNOR FELIX AKPOS MARAH M PRP 35 OND
DEPUTY MRS. PREYE UPAGA F PRP 26 B.SC COMPUTER

33. GOVERNOR HON. AUSTIN INEI ASAMAOWE M RPN 62 BBA
DEPUTY OKANI CLEMENT M RPN 45 PGD

34. GOVERNOR COMRADE AKIKI APRALA M SDMP 43 SSCE
DEPUTY DORIS TARI ALAGOA F SDMP 40 GCE

35. GOVERNOR SEIGHA DAVIDSON EKE SPIFF M UDP 53 B.SC.
DEPUTY AREKUMOR GODSPOWER M UDP 41 NECO

36. GOVERNOR JONATHAN INIYON MOSES M UNDP 42 B.SC.
DEPUTY QUEEN DOUYE AKENE F UNDP 34 B.A.

Meanwhile ,Governor Sylva of Bayelsa State has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for toeing the path of the rule of law in the release of the list of candidates for the state’s governorship election.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Doifie Ola, Sylva notes that “INEC has taken the right decision as an impartial umpire by acknowledging and stating clearly that the subject of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the governorship election is validly before a court of law, and that as an institution that respects the rule of law and democracy, it would not do anything to prejudice the final outcome of the matter in court.”

The statement by the CPS says Governor Sylva assures his supporters that he has a good case and believes in due process and the rule of law. As a democrat, he urges his supporters to remain calm and wait for the outcome of the case.

It would be recalled that in the run-up to the 19 November 2011 PDP governorship primary in Bayelsa State, the governor approached the Federal High Court in Abuja following his exclusion from the primary by the PDP apparatchik. The governor asked the court to uphold his candidature on the basis of the January 2011 primary or, on the contrary, allow him to participate in any primary that will be conducted by his party, PDP. The learned judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, consequently ordered PDP to show cause why the governor’s prayers should not be granted, and cautioned that the status quo be maintained.

But in complete disregard for the court processes, the PDP went ahead to conduct an illegal primary, and followed it up by filing an appeal at the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal has since ruled that the High Court has jurisdiction to hear the governor’s suit.

According to the statement, the PDP has now filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, to which Governor Sylva has cross-appealed. The governor is arguing that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it held that some pronouncements of Justice Kolawole amounts to pre-judging the issues before him.

Governor Sylva’s argument at the Supreme Court is that he is the authentic candidate of the PDP for the February 2012 governorship election. He notes that under the amended Electoral Act, a political party has no right to withdraw the name of a candidate it has submitted to INEC; it is only the candidate, due to resignation or death, that can so do.

Sylva notes that the governorship election in Bayelsa State was postponed, and not cancelled. The postponement of the governorship poll in Bayelsa State, for the governor, could be likened to the recent postponement of the Adamawa State governorship election from 14 January to 21 January. Assuming that this election was postponed for one month or more, will the Adamawa PDP go for another primary to determine the flag-bearer in the rescheduled gubernatorial election? The answer to this, for him, is clearly, no.

The governor is asking the court to invoke section 22 of the Supreme Court Act to determine the case at the Supreme Court. So that the matter will not go back to the lower court, and that the matter should be given expeditious hearing and treated on its own merit due to the time limitation.