Senator Degi-Eremienyo floors Douye Diri at an Appeal Court in Abuja .Bayelsans hail judgement

        By Our Correspondent

A three-man panel chaired by Justice Stephen Adah of an Appeal Court in Abuja has on Monday reversed the judgment of a Federal High Court disqualifying Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo as the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa State governorship election.

Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo

   It would be recalled that on Tuesday, November 12, a few days to the Bayelsa State governorship election, Justice Iyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja purportedly disqualified Degi-Eremienyo the All Progressives Congress (APC) running mate to the party’s Governorship candidate for allegedly supplying false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

  The judge said Degi-Eremienyo gave false information in relation to his educational qualifications and held that all his documents bore different names.

   Degi-Eremienyo, therefore, challenged the High Court verdict intended to restrain him from participating in the election the APC won.

    A three-man panel chaired by Justice Stephen Adah in their judgement on Monday ruled that the High Court erred in law and in breach of the appellant’s right to a fair hearing.

Justice Adah said the case which was brought under Section 36 of the Electoral Act is criminal in nature and the respondents in the case ought to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Senator Degi-Eremienyo gave false information in his form C001 submitted to INEC as part of his qualifications to contest the election.

    “I agree with the appellant that the owner of the school leaving certificate and the GCE certificate are one and the same and I therefore set aside the judgment of the court below,” Justice Adah said.

The Appellant Court held that more so Degi-Eremienyo submitted an affidavit sworn to court to prove that the names Adeyi-Eremienyo on his school-leaving certificate is one and the same as Degi-Eremienyo on his GCE certificate and newspaper cuttings announcing to the whole world a change in name and same was not challenged by the respondents in the lower court as such the findings of the lower court are erroneous.

   Following the judgment, perpetual jubilation is going on at the nooks and crannies of Bayelsa state describing it as a step in the right direction.

   Bayelsans who spoke with our Correspondent in Bayelsa state irrespective of the political parties they belong have congratulated Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo on his victory at the Appeal Court, describing the judgment as victory for democracy and the rule of law.

    Some advised the people of the state to eschew partisanship and rally behind him and the APC Governor-Elect to enhance the much needed reforms.

    According to them the judgment has further reaffirmed the confidence Nigerians have for the judiciary and the congratulated the panel of jurists that sat through the case, describing the verdict as thorough.

“We wish to applaud the learned jurists for delivering a thorough verdict, which will no doubt stand the test of time and strengthen the faith of the common man in the judiciary,” They stated.