Lokpobiri Drags APC, INEC to Court over Guber Ticket

Immediate past Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has joined the league of aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) members challenging the outcome of the September 4 primary that produced David Lyon as the APC’s flag bearer in the forthcoming governorship election in Bayelsa State.

Those who had earlier commenced legal action against Lyon’s emergence include; Peter Ozobo, Preye Aganaba, Sidi Godwin, all of the APC and Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Lokpobiri in his own suit is praying the court for an order setting aside the nomination of Lyon as the governorship candidate of the APC in the forthcoming governorship election on the ground that he did not win the September 4 primary poll.

In the court action instituted by his lawyer, Fitzgerald Olorogun, the former minister is praying the court to declare him candidate of the APC in the November 16 governorship poll having allegedly won majority of the votes cast.

According to him, he polled the highest votes 111, 439 cast at the election, while the next to him, Aganaba Stephen scored 5,426, Ebitimi Amgbare clinching third position with 638 votes and Lyon David Pereworinimi came fifth with 325 votes.

In the originating summons sighted by our correspondent in Abuja, Lokpobiri applied for an order of perpetual injunction restraining APC, its officers, agents and privies from treating, presenting or holding out Lyon to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s candidate for the election.

The plaintiff also sought an order of perpetual injunction stopping INEC, its officers, agents and privies from accepting or further accepting, publishing or further publishing David Lyon as the flag bearer and another order barring the electoral body from excluding him as the APC candidate.