The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered parties involved to speed processes in an appeal filed by Timi Alaibe challenging the election of Duoye Diri as the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the February governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad who presided over the five-member panel asked the appellants and respondents to regularise their processes having withdrawn two applications pending before the court.
After the resumption of proceedings on Tuesday, counsel to the PDP and Governor Diri, Emmanuel Enoedem and Chief Chris Uche (SAN), observed that they were not opposed to the application by the appellant to regularise his processes.
It should be recalled that prior to the PDP primary election, Timi Alaibe had dragged the party to Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, for not being satisfied with the composition of the 3-man panel which the court declined jurisdiction.
After losing out in the primaries, Alaibe proceeded to the Federal High Court, Owerri, praying the court to nullify the primary election which Diri won.
Still not satisfied with the ruling of the high court, Alaibe proceeded to the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri.
The Appeal Court however, dismissed his appeal while ruling against fresh governorship primary election.
Having still not satisfied with the decision of the Appeal Court, Alaibe approached the Supreme Court where he is praying the court to declare him the duly elected governor of Bayelsa State.
The matter was, however, stalled on Tuesday by the court and asked Alaibe’s lawyer, S.T. Ologunorisa, to regularise his processes, having withdrawn two applications which were not opposed by the lawyer to the defendant.
The Apex Court noted that once the processes were regularised a new date would be fixed for hearing.
