The All Progressives Congress, APC has announced the shifting of the date for the governorship election primaries of the party in Bayelsa State.
The party sighted the interim injunction 9f a Bayelsa High court as the reason for the change in date.
In a terse statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the party’s said; “In deference to a court order, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has shifted the date for the Bayelsa governorship primary to Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4, September, 2019.”
Recall that, a Bayelsa state High court sitting in Sagbama had ordered the National Working Committee of the APC, not to go ahead with the governorship primaries using the direct primary method.
The interim order which was obtained by aggrieved members of the APC, restrained the NWC of APC from going ahead to conduct the forthcoming primary using direct procedure.
The applicants in the suit are Japan Christopher, Evinson Olotu, Oddu Oyimiebi and Obriki Isaiah, while the first respondents are Adams Oshio and other members of the NWC and the second respondents are Hon Jonathan Amos and members of the State Working Committee of the party.
The applicants prayed the court for an order “abridging the time for which the respondents may enter appearance and file their respective counter affidavits and written addresses to the originating summons within seven days given the time sensitive nature of the suit.”
Also they prayed for the court for an “interim injunction restraining the first respondents from adopting the direct primaries procedure for the conduct of the party’s primary election for the 2019 Bayelsa state governorship election pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons.”
While granting the order in its entirety, the presiding judge, Hon Justice E G Umukoro ordered that the enrolled order of the court be served along with hearing notice to the respondents within 48 hours.
