The Senator representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Chief Henry Seriake Dickson, has reacted to today’s judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court Appeal which overturned the judgment of the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, which had earlier threw out a pre election matter filed by one Eneoriekumoh Owoupele.
A three-man panel presided over by Justice U Onyemenam disagreed with the lower court verdict and referred the matter to be sent for trial on its merit by the Federal High Court The court of Appeal held that the complainant’s action was filed within time while the lower court had held that it was statute barred as it was filed four days outside of time.
The Senator explained that the issue in contention was whether the date to file on pre election matter should run from the day a candidate submits his particulars to INEC or from the day INEC publishes those particulars.He said that while he holds the Lordships of the Court of Appeal in highest esteem, he has instructed his lawyers to approach the Supreme Court for interpretation for the sake of clarity and development of the law, and for a definitive pronouncement on the issue.
He urged the public to discountenance the mischief being peddled by the complainant that he had ‘Seriake Dickson’ on his certificates when he is known widely as Henry Seriake Dickson He said that he would not yield to blackmail as there is no cause for alarm adding that the matter was frivolous, vexatious and attention seeking. He said that the Court of Appeal did not say that he had a case to answer.
The Senator who said that he had confidence in the Judicial system, added that the law would take its course at trial.