Senate: Court of Appeal Orders Gov. Dickson To Open Defence At Federal High Court Bayelsa

…Court orders re-assignment of case to another lower court’s judge

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ruled that a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, has a case to answer in a suit seeking to disqualify him from contesting the concluded Bayelsa West Senatorial election.

The three-man panel of the court also disagreed with the Federal High Court’s decision to dismiss the matter saying the judgement of the lower court was wrong.

The panel presided over by Justice U. Onyemenam, ordered the suit to be reassigned to another Federal High Court judge.

The Appellant, Owoupele Eneoriekumoh, had through his lawyers, Pius Danba Pius and Ebikebuna Augustine Aluzu approached the Court of Appeal seeking to set aside the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa.

The court in Yenagoa presided over by Justice J. Inyang, had dismissed the case, but the appeal court on Thursday agreed with the appellant lawyers after faulting the judgement of Inyang.

Justice Onyemenam held that the lower court dismissed the matter in grave error.

Dickson, who had been sworn in at the National Assembly to represent the Bayelsa West, had been compelled by the judgement to go and open his defence at the Federal High Court.

The Appellant is seeking Dickson’s disqualification and removal from the Senate.