Bayelsa LP Guber Candidate Heads to Tribunal

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the November 11 governorships election, Udengs Eradiri has filed a petition at the Bayelsa state governorship election petitions tribunal seeking the disqualification of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Douye Diri and Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressive Congress( APC).

Eradiri, who disclosed this while addressing a cross section of stakeholders of the party, including ward and local government officials, said he won the valid votes at the election.

According to him both the PDP and the APC presented candidates that were ineligible to participate in the election which means they should be disqualified by the Tribunal.

“There are issues of eligibility of the two candidates, and that is the ground we have gone to the tribunal. Many people have lost hope in the judiciary but that small thread we hold onto is the basis for me to challenge the declaration.

“After studying the entire process, I have decided to ask the tribunal to declare me governor. With the spread of my 950 votes, you will see that in seven out of the eight local governments, I got the constitutional requirements, so if you invalidate the PDP and APC votes, I should be declared winner”.

Eradiri, who seized the opportunity to talk about the leadership crisis rocking the party, dismissed reports of factions in the state.

According to him the party stakeholders and leadership decided to appoint an acting chairman in accordance with the constitution.

Eradiri said the former chairman of the party in the state lacked the constitutional power to suspend him.

He said: “Some people decided to leave the party, they voluntarily left. The natural system of discipline in the party kicked him out, not me. So there’s no faction.

“The position of the party is clear, if you participate in anti-party activity it is expulsion. We have a constitution that dictates our modus operandi. I have demonstrated the principles to put the party together so I can’t at this time destroy it myself”.