Appeal Court affirms Lulu-Briggs as Accord gov candidate in Rivers

The Court of Appeal sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, has granted the application for stay of execution on the judgment of Justice Obili of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt which ruled recently that Precious Baridoo and not Dumo Lulu-Briggs was the Rivers State governorship candidate of Accord.

A statement by the Director of Communications, Dumo Lulu-Briggs Campaign Organisation, Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo, said Justice A. Lamido of the Court of Appeal, Yenagoa, delivered his ruling on the matter on Friday.

The Lulu-Briggs Campaign Organisation said in the statement that the Appeal Court ruling was in respect of an application brought before it by Wilcox Abereton (SAN), the lead counsel to Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs.

It said the Presiding judge granted the application for stay of execution and further granted an injunction restraining Precious Baridoo from parading himself as the Rivers Accord governorship candidate.

“By this ruling, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs remains the INEC recognized Rivers State governorship candidate of Accord in Rivers State and the person whose name was legally submitted to INEC by the National Working Committee of Accord,” the statement said.

The Accord in Rivers state has been in crisis over who is the genuine candidate of the party, resulting in the former Chairman of the party in the state, Precious Barido, approaching a Federal High Court in Portharcourt to challenge the candidature of Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs.

The Federal High Court ruled in favour of Mr. Barido, few days to the Rivers governorship election, forcing Dumo Lulu-Briggs and the Rivers chapter of Accord party filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Yenagoa.

While the appeal lasted in the Appeal Court, the National leadership of Accord said that Dumo Lulu-Briggs remains the governorship candidate of the party in Rivers state.

He added the party submitted only the credentials of Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the candidate of the party.

According to the national chairman of Accord, Muhammad Lawal Nalado, Precious Barido, is an impostor, pointing out that at no time before, during and after his tenure as the state chairman of Accord in Rivers, did he notify the national leadership of Accord of his interest in the Rivers governorship polls.

He said Barido never bought any form from Accord to contest the governorship election in Rivers and was never at any time the candidate of the party in Rivers governorship elections.