S’Court judgments: Era of manipulating judiciary for election victory is over – Dickson
Felix Okoye
Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson on Tuesday said, the era of deceiving the Judiciary to get judgments and electoral victory through the back door was over in Nigeria.
Dickson, who premised this optimism on the Supreme Court ruling on the governorship election in Rivers, Abia and Akwa-Ibom States attributed his victory over the APC and its candidate, Timipre Sylva to the divine intervention, insisted that his opponent was relying on the judiciary to make him governor.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the governor’s spoke on a live Radio and Television programme in Yenagoa, where he was emphatic that it would be foolhardy for anyone to think that he could upturn the decision of the people by manipulating the judicial process.
While expressing his readiness to face the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Election Petition Tribunal, Dickson argued that, there were enough evidence to counter all the issues raised in their petition, “even though I am yet to be served.”
Election into public offices, according to him, is all about the people and since they have spoken through their votes, it will be difficult for it to be upturned.
Having won in seven out of the eight LGAs of Bayelsa state, Dickson said, he was not ready to comment on the case, as it would tantamount to subjudice.
He wondered the kind of magic the APC was expecting at the Tribunal.
Dickson said, “I am very surprised that, instead of congratulating me and working with us to rebuild our state to move forward as a people, he is being misled or is misleading others to think that the Judiciary can be manipulated to see how they can upturn the popular will of the people.
“I believe that the recent judgment of the Supreme Court and the recent posture of the Supreme Court should make people to think twice. The message from the Judiciary, now is that, those who want to be governors should win popular votes from their people.
“The message is that, you cannot lose an election; rejected by your people at the polls and then come through the back door to hoodwink the Judiciary to give you a mandate that your people never gave you. If that message is lost on the Bayelsa APC and their candidate, who is going about compromising national institutions; then it’s unfortunate.”