The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked parties to accelerate processes in an appeal filed by Timi Alaibe challenging the election of Senator Duoye Diri as the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the February governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The five-member panel presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad asked the appellant and respondents to regularise their processes having withdrawn two applications pending before the court.
When proceedings resumed Tuesday, counsel to the PDP and Governor Diri, Emmanuel Enoedem and Chief Chris Uche (SAN), said they were not opposed to the application by the appellant to regularise his processes.
Recall, shortly before the PDP primary election, Alaibe had dragged the party to Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, disagreeing with the composition of the 3-man panel.
However, the court declined jurisdiction.
After losing out in the primaries, Alaibe proceeded to the Federal High Court, Owerri, praying the court to nullify the primary election which Diri won.
Not satisfied with the outcome of high court judgment, Alaibe moved to the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri.
The Appeal Court dismissed his appeal while ruling against fresh governorship primary election.
Dissatisfied with the decision of the Appeal Court, Alaibe approached the apex court where he is praying the court to declare him the duly elected governor of Bayelsa State.
The matter was, however, stalled, Tuesday, as the court asked Alaibe’s lawyer, S.T. Ologunorisa, to regularise his processes, having withdrawn two applications which were not opposed by the lawyer to the defendant.
The Supreme Court held that once the processes were regularised a new date would be fixed for hearing.