The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reacted to a Federal High Court ruling which invalidated the candidacy of David Lyon, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the forthcoming election in Bayelsa State.
The High Court in Yenegoa, on Thursday declared that the APC does not have a governorship candidate in the election taking place on Saturday.
The court presided over by Justice Jane Inyang ruled that the governorship primary conducted by the APC in the oil-rich state was not done in compliance with the guidelines and the constitution of the party, and, therefore, the party has no candidate.
The APC is yet to react to the development, coming barely two days before electorates hit the polls. When contacted, the party’s spokesperson, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said it will soon communicate its reaction via a statement.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday had also disqualified Mr Lyon’s running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, from participating in the forthcoming election on the grounds that he provided conflicting information on the documents he presented to INEC.
In its reaction, INEC said the election will go on despite the disqualification of the APC candidate.
“The court did not say INEC should stop the election”, said Sarian Dangosu, INEC publicity secretary in Bayelsa.
“The court only said those who do not have candidates will be disallowed therefore, the other 43 candidates will go to the polls,” she noted.
