By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

YENAGOA—AS the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate in the 2015 and 2016 governorship elections in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, heads to the Supreme Court challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld the election of the incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson, the latter has raised alarm on the former’s alleged disrespect for the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court.

Sylva is asking the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, which dismissed his appeal seeking to overturn the decision of the Bayelsa State Election Petitions Tribunal which upheld the election of Dickson as winner of the last election in the state.

According to Dickson, Sylva, who is known for holding the apex court in contempt, has reverted to the same court for justice.

Sylva and Dickson

After Sylva’s futile attempt to challenge his victory at the Supreme Court, Governor Dickson said, Sylva committed contempt of court in 2012 by refusing to pay him the sum of N500, 000 being the amount the Supreme Court ordered Sylva to pay him as damages for abusing court process and for wasting the time of the justices.

In a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in Yenagoa, Dickson said that if Sylva had respect for the judiciary, he would have paid him the N500, 000 as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, consisting of five justices in 2012, had in a unanimous judgement, resolved in favour of Dickson, the two issues raised by Sylva for determination before awarding cost.

According to the statement, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who read the lead judgement was hard on the former governor for wasting the time of the court and awarded N500, 000 as cost against Sylva, to be paid to Dickson, the 3rd respondent, whereas the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the PDP, who were listed as 1st and 2nd defendants, were to bear their costs.

“Sylva is yet to pay me the sum of N500, 000 as ordered by the highest court in the land, thereby, disrespecting the apex court. It is, therefore, surprising that it is still the same apex court Sylva is returning to ask to remove Governor Dickson on the frivolous grounds that the election which brought him to office was unknown to law,” the statement added.