Dickson asks Sylva to offset N. 5m damages ordered by Supreme Court

As former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, heads to the Supreme Court over the Appeal Court ruling, which upheld Governor, Seriake Dickson elections, the incumbent has disclosed that his predecessor still owes him N.5m ordered as damages by the apex court in 2012.

Dickson, while reacting to Sylva’s decision to approach the Supreme Court, stated that the former governor lacked respect for the judiciary and particularly the Supreme Court.

Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 and 2016 governorship elections in the state had filed a suit at the Supreme Court, to appeal the judgment of the appellate court, which sustained the election of the incumbent governor.

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

Dickson however, claimed that Sylva, who is known for allegedly holding the apex court in contempt, has reverted to the same court for justice.

According to him, “After Sylva’s futile attempt to challenge my victory at the Supreme Court, Sylva committed contempt of Court in 2012 by refusing to pay me the sum of N.5m being the amount the Supreme Court ordered Sylva to pay as damages for abusing court process and for wasting the time of the Justices”.

Dickson pointed out that: “If Sylva had respect for the judiciary he would have paid him the N500, 000 as ordered by the Supreme Court”.

“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 the Supreme Court to remove G Dickson on the frivolous grounds that the election which brought him to office was unknown to law.”

Reacting to Dickson’s claim, the APC said the governor was exhibiting a failure syndrome, saying that neither Sylva nor the party was financially indebted to the governor.

The party who spoke through the State publicity Secretary, Fortune Panebi, said they are heading to the Supreme Court to reclaim their mandate duly given to them by the people of the state, to correct the purported injustices at the tribunal and the appellate court

He asserted, “It is the failure syndrome that is working in him (Dickson). Timipre Sylva does not owe him a dime; did he buy anything from him? And even at that, why is it that it is this time that he is saying it. As far as I am concerned Timipre Sylva is not owing him a dime.”

Panebi said the party and it’s candidate are going to the court to reclaim the stolen mandate because they see the Supreme Court as the final process of getting back their mandate which was denied them at the tribunal and at the appellate court.

He said most of the chieftains of the party left the state as a result of intimidation from the governor and the lack of business opportunities in the state since the emergence of Dickson as governor.

“Can’t you see that businesses in the state are all gone and that most of the party hierarchy has to go to neighbouring states to do business because businesses in the state is comatose,”Panebi snapped.