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A faction of the Advance Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) in Bayelsa State has disowned the majority ruling by the Governorship election petition tribunal nullifying the November 16, 2019 governorship election, and ordering a fresh election within 90 days, over a petition filed by the party.
According to the ANDP faction led by the national publicity secretary, Fortune Oyadoghan, the state publicity secretary, Charlse Krotezi, and the state secretary, Pastor Sapiere Obi Euduakakpo, declared that the verdict delivered by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal came to the party at the state level as a rude shock as the party did not conduct a governorship primary nor agreed on a consensus candidate for the November 16, 2019 election.
Pastor Euduakakpo, the state secretary of the ANDP, while speaking with newsmen at the secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Yenagoa, said the party could not have filed a petition at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal over alleged unlawful exclusion due to the fact that they had previous adopted Governor Douye Diri as the candidate of the party.
According to Euduakakpo; “At the time of the said governorship elections, the ANDP was still in its formative stage and yet to create the important structures necessary to run a successful campaign. Consequently, the party at the state level, in consultation with the National Executive, in its wisdom, opted to endorse the candidate whose vision and manifestos, best mirrored the aspiration of the party.
“In that consideration, we met and agreed to support the candidature of Governor Douye Diri. The question begging for answers are that if our party had a candidate in the election in Bayelsa State: Where did they hold primaries which produced the purported candidate? Who were the INEC and security personnel that conducted and supervised the process in accordance with electoral provision? Who were the contestants and their respective scores? Where are the video clips and publications leading up to and announcing the outcome?
“It is equally important to mention that the purported candidate of the ANDP is unknown to the party as he is not a card carrying member. We challenge him to produce his membership card if he maintains the charade. Indeed, to the best of our knowledge, he is the chairman of another political party. Further, Barr Charlse Ogboli, who smuggled the supposed candidate to INEC, was a former national chairman of our party, was suspended on the 8th of November, 2018 and has no mandate to litigate on behalf of the party, even if there were any outstanding grievances.”
