Bayelsa Guber Poll: Supreme Court’s Ruling Unfair, Criminalizes Me – Sen Degi-Eremienyo Cries Out!

• APC seeks review of judgment
• Faults INEC’s response

BY EDMOMD ODOK, ABUJA – For nullifying the All Progressives Congress (APC) victory in the Bayelsa State governorship election, the Supreme Court has inadvertently criminalized me and put an indelible stain on my hard-earned reputation, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo is crying out.

He has therefore vowed to fight on and clear his name of the disrepute unjustly inflicted on him by the verdict of the nation’s apex Court.

Similarly, the ruling party on Thursday filed an application for a reversal of the February 13 judgment on grounds of miscarriage of justice by the Supreme Court.

In its ruling, the apex Court held that Senator Degi-Eremienyo, the running mate to the APC’s flag-bearer, David Lyon, in the November 16, 2019 gubernatorial polls, presented forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and therefore not qualified to stand for election.

But speaking for the first time since the apex Court delivered the highly controversial judgment, Senator Degi-Eremienyo told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that the allegations against him were unproven and a mere figment of his accusers’ imagination.

According to the lawmaker, it is most unfortunate that in the whole legal process, those who issued the certificates to him were never contacted to clear the air on the issue at stake.

In his statement, Degi-Eremienyo said; “The aim of this press conference is to defend my reputation which the Justices of the Supreme Court, whether consciously or unconsciously, subjected to scurrilous scandal, assault and unfair imputation.

“The judgment of the Supreme Court that I was not qualified to contest as the deputy governorship candidate of APC and my attendant disqualification adversely affected the governorship candidate of the APC.

“The result was that our hard-earned victory, not just for ourselves, but our party and the majority of the good people of Bayless state who have entrusted us with the mandate to democratically govern them, is threatened.

“The event of my disqualification is distressing and traumatising to me personally and, of course, a greater trauma was inflicted on my party, the governorship candidate and the good people of Bayelsa who signified their choice of who should be their governor and deputy governor.

“It is this unsolicited assault on my personality and reputation by the judgment in question that has constrained me to chart this course.”

Explaining his pains further, Degi-Eremienyos said; “Unless unfair imputation to character is quickly corrected, it assumes the toga of truth.

“It was clearly a desperate and calculated attempt not just to grab power through the judicial process but equally to tarnish my good image and bring same to disrepute on completely false and unproven allegations.”

In throwing up claims of being denied fair hearing by the apex Court, he further stated that; “As a lawmaker, I know that what Section 182(1) (j) of the Constitution contemplates is that a candidate cannot present forged educational certificates not belonging to him to aid his constitutional qualification.

“Forgery can, therefore, not be defined in different context simply to lower the burden of proof in order to meet a political end.

“The seeming discrepancies in my name, which I have adequately explained by an affidavit, was not impeached by any evidence that the names were misspelt by the issuing authorities.

“The issuing authorities who are accessible by my accusers were not called to impeach my assertion in the affidavit explaining away these errors I stated which were not illegal.”

Reiterating his enormous regard for the judiciary as a lawmaker, Degi-Eremienyo ssid; “I am aware that my party has headed to Supreme Court for a review of the judgment. By the grace of God, our second journey to the Supreme Court will end in celebration.”

On its part, the ruling APC on Thursday stormed the Supreme Court with its prayers for the reversal of the contentious judgment.

The APC is urging the Supreme Court to set aside the “wrong” interpretation given to the February 13 verdict and its execution by the electoral umpire, INEC.

In an application filed by its team of lawyers, led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), with Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the party says the Supreme Court vlearly misinterpreted the November 12, 2019 judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which it affirmed.

Furthermore, the party is contending that the apex Court acted without jurisdiction and denied it fair hearing when it disqualified its governorship candidate on the eve of his swearing in.

Aside arguing that the Federal High Court’s judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo, rejected the plaintiffs’ prayer to disqualify Lyon, the APC also faulted INEC’s interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment that saw it issuing a certificate of return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.

Another prayer being put forward by the APC for the Supreme Court to set aside the portion of its judgment ordering INEC to declare as winner the candidate with the highest number of lawful votes; withdraw the certificate of return issued to its governorship candidate; and the issuance of fresh one to the candidate with the highest number of lawful votes.

The party insisted that it was wrong for the apex Court to travel the path of disqualifying its candidates from participating in the polls, when the appeal against Federal High Court’s ruling disqualifying its deputy governorship candidate, was successful at the time of holding the election.