Bayelsa state High Court, sitting in Yenagoa, has declined jurisdiction to entertain a matter brought to it by some elected ad-hoc delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state seeking an order to authenticate their election as ad-hoc delegates to partake in Tuesday’s governorship primary of the party.
The court also struck out a suit seeking to declare the newly elected 105 Local Government Council chairmen, the deputy and councillors as ad-hoc delegates of the party.
Justice E. G. Umukoro, while delivering his ruling on Tuesday, said: “Because the case is a pre-primary matter involving a political party, the court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter.
“Someone can only claim to be an aspirant only if such person has taken part in a political party primary conducted by the party’s national leadership. And considering the case before me, the applicants and claimants are not aspirants yet, and therefore the court has no jurisdiction .
“It is not the business of the court to dabble into political or domestic issues. In the light of the foregoing, this court is not interested and hereby strike out the case because the matter is an internal party affair.
“And all parties in the suit should consult their party constitution and do what they think is right for them. I therefore strike out the suit seeking to authenticate the newly elected council chairmen and councillors as delegates during the primaries today.”
It would be recalled that the Chairman of Sagbama LGA, Embelakpo Alale, took the PDP to court, seeking to ensure that all the newly elected council chairmen, their deputies and councillors be declared as ad-hoc delegates for September 3rd PDP primary in the state.
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