The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will participate in the governorship election in Bayelsa State slated for Saturday.
INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, confirmed the party’s participation to Premium Times on Friday.
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A Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa had ruled on Thursday that the APC governorship primaries in Bayelsa held on September 4 was null and void as it was conducted arbitrarily outside the rules of the party.
The court consequently nullified the nomination of David Lyon as APC’s candidate in a suit filed by Heineken Lokpobiri, one of the aspirants that sought the party’s ticket.
Prior to that, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday disqualified APC’s Bayelsa deputy governorship candidate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, from participating in the election.
Mr Degi-Eremienyo was disqualified on grounds that he provided conflicting information on the documents he presented to INEC.
Mr Okoye, however, said that the courts only voided the candidacies of the two flagbearers, adding that the rulings did not stop them from including APC in the ballot papers.
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“APC will participate in the election in Bayelsa State. Court ruling does not say APC should not participate in the election. APC will be on the ballot paper. The court only says the two candidates are not eligible. But we don’t have candidates on the ballot papers. We only have logos of parties and those are what will be there.
“All the sensitive materials are already leaving the Central Bank (in Yenagoa) for the RACs,” he said.
