The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday dismissed an application by a political party, Liberation Movement, seeking to be joined as a co-petitioner in a petition challenging the outcome of the November 16, 2019 poll in the state.

The party’s governorship candidate in the election, Vijah Opuma, had filed the petition on February 20, 2020 without joining the party as a co-petitioner.

He had filed the petition barely two weeks after the Independent National Electoral Commission deregistered LM on February 6, 2020.

LM subsequently, on May 5, 2020, filed an application seeking to be joined as a co-petitioner in the case about 15 days after the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, challenged the competence of the petition on the basis that the exclusion of the party from the petition as co-petitioner had rendered the petition invalid.

In opposing the application, Ewhrudjakpo, through his counsel, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), asked the tribunal to dismiss LM application for joinder.

In its ruling on Monday, the three-man tribunal led by Justice Mohammed Cirajo, upheld Ume’s opposition and dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

Delivering the lead ruling, Justice Cirajo held that there was no justification for the party to file the application to join the petition 74 days after it was filed by its governorship candidate in the election.

The judge also held that the excuse by LM that it did not join the petition from the outset because it was as of the time deregistered by INEC and only sought to be joined after the Federal High Court in Abuja stopped its deregistration, was not tenable.

Justice Cirajo ruled that contrary to the party’s claim, the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered on February 17, 2020 and cited by the applicant did not restrain INEC from deregistering LM, but only restrained the electoral body from deregistering the 33 political parties who were the plaintiffs in the case.

“Despite the damaging counter-affidavit to the application for joinder, there was no better or further affidavit,” Justice Cirajo held.

He ruled that “the inevitable conclusion is that the application lacks merit, and it is hereby dismissed”.

Ewhrudjakpo’s lawyer, Ume, had maintained that LM’s application “is misleading” by “pretending” that the party was one of 33 political parties who initiated the Federal High Court suit and obtained the judgment restraining INEC from deregistering them.

“The applicant is rather insulting the intelligence of the honourable tribunal by deposing to falsehood,” the counter-affidavit read in part.

It added that “the applicant is merely engaging in half-baked after-thought”, adding that “the application amounts to amending the parties to the petition and same is too late in the day”.

“That the absence of the said political party that sponsored the petitioner was fatal to the petition has been duly raised in a preliminary objection which the petition responded, processes adopted and ruling reserved,” the Deputy Governor’s lawyer argued.

He also stated, “That the acknowledgment of the applicant at this late hour that the applicant is a necessary party shows that its absence renders the petition invalid as earlier pointed out by the fourth respondent.”

The respondents to the petition are INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party and Governor Douye Diri.

Opuama, in his petition, asked the tribunal to disqualify Ewhrujakpo for submitting an affidavit to INEC that contained false information.

He also urged the tribunal to order the cancellation of the November 16, 2019 governorship election.

https://punchng.com/bayelsa-tribunal-dismisses-partys-request-to-join-gov-petition/

AAA593
The master list of any Institution can only be authenticated by same Institution.

So only UST has the onus to present a Masterlist, not even the President can.

For the case of the NYSC....the petitioner didn't invite nysc.....the body saddled with the responsibility in issuing NYSC certificates.
The DSS has already authenticated that yes NYSC effected the correction.



senatordave1 ejimatic, are you aware that the petitioner himself has three names?
FSLC - Ikurutei Inowei
SSCE - Elored Ikurutei Inowei
INEC form CF001 - Vijah Eldred Opuama

fergie001:
AAA593
The master list of any Institution can only be authenticated by same Institution.

So only UST has the onus to present a Masterlist, not even the President can.

For the case of the NYSC....the petitioner didn't invite nysc.....the body saddled with the responsibility in issuing NYSC certificates.
The DSS has already authenticated that yes NYSC effected the correction.



senatordave1 ejimatic, are you aware that the petitioner himself has three names?
FSLC - Ikurutei Inowei
SSCE - Elored Ikurutei Inowei
INEC form CF001 - Vijah Eldred Opuama

The petitioner couldn't spell his middle name correctly. Also, that tribunal is above 180 days with same members

AAA593:

The petitioner couldn't spell his middle name correctly. Also, that tribunal is above 180 days with same members

Good work.....Correct

fergie001:
AAA593
The master list of any Institution can only be authenticated by same Institution.

So only UST has the onus to present a Masterlist, not even the President can.

For the case of the NYSC....the petitioner didn't invite nysc.....the body saddled with the responsibility in issuing NYSC certificates.
The DSS has already authenticated that yes NYSC effected the correction.



senatordave1 ejimatic, are you aware that the petitioner himself has three names?
FSLC - Ikurutei Inowei
SSCE - Elored Ikurutei Inowei
INEC form CF001 - Vijah Eldred Opuama

Except this is a cross petition,it is a waste of time and has been overtaken by other events.the matter at hand is the deputy governor

fergie001:

Good work.....Correct

Bad work.we don't know that yet.ikpeazu will not survive

Anyway Shah, All Are Politics And Politics Is A Game While Polititians Are The Players Then We Are The Fans, Any Wich Way, This Is Nigeria.

garfield1:


Except this is a cross petition,it is a waste of time and has been overtaken by other events.the matter at hand is the deputy governor

Did u know opuama stood in the witness box.. Do you know d technicality of cross examination? Do you think the SANS are fools

meddlesome interloper

AAA593:

Did u know opuama stood in the witness box.. Do you know d technicality of cross examination? Do you think the SANS are fools

Standing in the witness box is not a new thing after all Lawrence almost stood there. We all know the importance of cross examination. I know what you are thinking.you are thinking that since opuama documents has discrepancies,the court can also disqualify him

slivertongue:
meddlesome interloper

No one is a meddlesome interloper here boy

garfield1:

No one is a meddlesome interloper here boy

MAN

garfield1:


Standing in the witness box is not a new thing after all Lawrence almost stood there. We all know the importance of cross examination. I know what you are thinking.you are thinking that since opuama documents has discrepancies,the court can also disqualify him

You're trying to disqualify a candidate when you're not even standing on a solid ground. The case is dead

AAA593:

You're trying to disqualify a candidate when you're not even standing on a solid ground. The case is dead

You are funny.did pdp file a cross petition?

garfield1:


You are funny.did pdp file a cross petition?

Just wait and see

garfield1:


Bad work.we don't know that yet.ikpeazu will not survive

I will never have believed you will say something like this.

I am disappointed....but it is well.

Later then....

garfield1:

No one is a meddlesome interloper here boy

Dem say na you be SenatorDave1, na true?

garfield1:


Except this is a cross petition,it is a waste of time and has been overtaken by other events.the matter at hand is the deputy governor

I think NYSC once came to the court and declared that the change was effected by the NYSC though no reason was given.Additionally it seems the petitioner was just taking a step forward and three backward in his approach to the petition.

fergie001:
AAA593
The master list of any Institution can only be authenticated by same Institution.

So only UST has the onus to present a Masterlist, not even the President can.

For the case of the NYSC....the petitioner didn't invite nysc.....the body saddled with the responsibility in issuing NYSC certificates.
The DSS has already authenticated that yes NYSC effected the correction.



senatordave1 ejimatic, are you aware that the petitioner himself has three names?
FSLC - Ikurutei Inowei
SSCE - Elored Ikurutei Inowei
INEC form CF001 - Vijah Eldred Opuama

. Yes