Bayelsa gubernatorial primaries: Court declines jurisdiction to stop Dickson’s delegates

The Bayelsa High Court sitting in Yenagoa, on Tuesday declined jurisdiction in a suit filed to by some delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state seeking an order to authenticate their participation in the governorship primaries.
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.
Delivering his ruling, Justice E.G Umukoro said: “Because the case is a pre-primary matter involving a political party, the court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter”.
He said: “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 for the primaries today.”