Chief David Lyon woke up on Thursday feeling like a Governor. It was a right feeling to have. After all, the Supreme Court last week affirmed he was the duly elected All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Bayelsa.
His inauguration was less than 24 hours away. Everything was set, his dress inclusive. He had a prepared speech and list of first set of appointees. Life couldn’t have been better.
But in a sudden twist, the Supreme Court voided his election based on the disqualification of his running mate Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo for presenting forged certificates to INEC.
The court ruled Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had infected the joint ticket with which he and the governorship candidate, Lyon, ran for and won the November 16, 2019 election.
For Lyon, it was an unexpected twist. He was coasting home until the apex court halted his strides. Outgoing Governor Seriake Dickson, who was out and down, is by far the biggest beneficiary of the Supreme Court’s pronouncement.
Sources said he had packed personal belongings out of the Government House. He was on his way to political oblivion. But he has been given a new lease of life. He has suddenly become the new political leader of oil-rich Bayelsa.
His anointed candidate, Senator Douye Diri, is the Supreme Court-backed successor. It is by far the biggest lesson is politics that nothing is over until it is decreed by Supreme Court. Seriake, who appeared to have lost out on all fronts, has become the new bride in town.
He has affirmed the fact that nothing is over until it is truly over. For him, it is an unexpected lifeline for his political career.
