APC suffers new setback in Bayelsa

The All Progressives Congress (APC) suffered another blow in Bayelsa state as its senatorial candidate in the forthcoming Bayelsa West senatorial candidate, Peremobowei Ebebi, has been disqualified from the exercise over document forgery.

It would be recalled that the party’s governorship candidate in the last governorship election in the state, David Lyon, was removed by the Supreme Court following revelation that his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, presented false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aid of his qualification for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

In Ebebi’s case, Justice Jane Inyang of the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, gave the ruling on a case of forgery filed by Richman Samuel, a former director of domestic matters, Government House, Yenagoa against Ebebi.

Samuel had told the court that the academic credentials and voter’s card the APC candidate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the by-election were forged documents.

The judge in her ruling held that the voter’s card the APC candidate submitted to INEC “bears a different age and, therefore, contradicts other of his documents and his filed INEC forms.”

Consequently, the court upheld Samuel’s prayers and declared Ebebi ineligible to take part in the by-election.

It’s not clear yet if Ebebi will appeal the case as he was yet to react at the time this report was filed.

APC had won the November 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa but lost it to the People Democratic Party (PDP) at the Supreme Court due to certificate forgery.