With today’s judgment which sacked the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, David Lyon from being sworn in tomorrow as Governor of the State, it appears the State will be without a Governor from tomorrow.

Facts available to Kristina Reports indicate that with the departure of Henry Seriake Dickson, from 12midnight tomorrow, a constitutional crisis is already in the making.

To assuage this imminent vacuum, the Chief of the State, Justice Kate Abiri may likely swear in the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Monday Obolo, as the Acting Governor of the State to hold forte within the 90 days INEC needs to conduct a fresh election there.

Section 179, subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution (amended) states that “A candidate for an election to the office of Governor of a State shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being two or more candidates: a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and b) he has not less than one quarter of all votes cast in each of at least two thirds of all the local government areas of the State.”

Lyon, who was already poised to be sworn in tomorrow as Governor to succeed the outgoing Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, had been going through inauguration protocols since morning alongside security operatives who would accompany him on that fateful day.

The Supreme Court held in its verdict earlier today that Lyon’s election stodd nullified on the grounds that his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo presentedd false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aid of his qualification for the November 16 governorship election in Bayelsa State.  

The apex court consequently ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Lyon and Degi-Eremienyo and immedaitely decalre the party with the highest number of lawful votes and geographical spread winner.

Consequently, the court ordered that candidate and running mate of the party so declared should be issued Certificate of Return and sworn in tomorrow. This appears not to be happening in the face of current realities.  

Nationnal Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole declared this afternoon that candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Douye Diri cannot be sworn in as he did not meet the requirments given by the Supreme Court in its verdict earlier today.

According to him, though the Supreme Court ordered that a new Certificate of Return should be issued to the candidate with the required spread in the election aside David Lyon, none of the candidates of any of the parties that contested the election met the criteria.

Bayelsa State has eight local government areas with approximately six LGAs being two third of the entire number of LGAs in the State.

PDP’s candidiate, Douye Diri was said not to have gotten one quarter votes in Nembe, Ogbia and Southern Ijaw LGAs, thus not meeting up with the requried provision of the Constitution.

With this development, INEC is expected to hold an emergency meeting tonight to decide on the teething issuess raised by the Supreme Court’s judgment and make a statement on the issue either this night or early tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Kristina Reports authoritatively learnt that high level discussions were ongoing in the Bayelsa State Government House and among other PDP stakeholders on how to maximise the opportunity created by today verdict by the apex court.

Also, some top ranking chieftains of the party have reached out to former President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene to persuade INEC to settle for Diri and declare him the winner so he could sworn in tomorrow. The move includes apologies to him for the attitudes displayed towards him by some leaders of the party in the run-up to the election.

It was not clear as at this evening what his response was to the overtures being made.  

Meanwhile, party faithful and chieftains of the PDP in Bayelsa State have been jubilating in the State as they celebrate the judgement.