By Uche Mbah
A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri Imo state has dismissed a suit filed by Timi Alaibe, a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Bayelsa state. Alaibe was challenging the emergence of Governor Duoye Diri as governor.
Diri has been declared the winner of the election a day before the swearing in of the Independent National election Commission, INEC, declared winner of the election. However, after his swearing in, Diri , led by former governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, had reached out to Alaibe, who had gone to Court to contest the emergence of Diri in the Primaries, claiming foul play. Diri reportedly tried to appeal to him to withdraw the case.
If Alaibe wins the case, he may invoke the supreme court ruling that indicate that it is the party that wins elections not individuals. It was the judgement that gave the governorship to Rotimi Amaechi during his time.
In this current case, the court dismissed the case against Diri as lacking in merit, insisting that the PDP followed all due process and fulfilled all constitutional requirements in the primaries. The trial Judge, Justice Tijani Rigim, said that Alaibe should not have come to the court in the first place.
It is not clear s at press time whether Alaibe will be appealing the judgement. Feelers are that the Diri camp are intensifying efforts to stop his appeal if there are plans for that.
