The Dumo Lulu-Briggs Campaign Organization has reacted to the report, in which a certain Mr. Precious Baridoo has gone to court to claim that he is the Rivers State Governorship candidate of the Accord Party.
In a statement released by Director of Communications DLB Campaign Organization Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo.
The statement reads;
Our attention has been drawn to several news reports published in some national papers, in which a certain Mr. Precious Baridoo has gone to court to claim that he is the Rivers State Governorship candidate of the Accord Party.
While we do not wish to join issues with the said Mr. Precious Baridoo over his claims, especially since the matter is now before a court of competent jurisdiction, we do however wish to state our position clearly and categorically as it concerns our Principal, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, who has been mentioned in the matter as follows:
1. That the said Precious Baridoo was appointed as Ag. Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Accord Party by the National Executive Council of the Party in 2014.
2. That on October 4, 2018, the National Working Committee of the Accord Party, in accordance with its party constitution duly produced by Consensus, Mr. Nelson Amieye, who emerged as the Rivers State Accord Party Governorship candidate for the 2019 elections.
3. That Mr. Nelson Amieye was legally and legitimately substituted with Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, as the Rivers State Accord Party Governorship Candidate, when he, Nelson Amieye, voluntarily relinquished his nomination through a sworn affidavit deposed by him, in the window for substitution of candidates provided by INEC for political parties.
4. That the National Working Committee has duly submitted the name of Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the substantive and legitimate Rivers State Governorship candidate of the Accord Party for the 2019 general elections.
We have it on good authority that Mr. Precious Baridoo did not buy the expression of intent and nomination forms for the Rivers State governorship election under the Accord Party for the 2019 elections.
We are also in possession of incontrovertible facts that the claims that Mr. Precious Baridoo duly resigned his position as Accord Party Chairman to contest the October 4, Governorship primaries of the party, is patently and administratively false.
Ongoing investigation suggests that Mr. Precious Baridoo concocted the narrative of his emergence as Rivers Accord party governorship candidate on October 4, 2018, even when he proceeded to contest and emerged as Chairman of Rivers State IPAC in November, 2018, a position he holds to date.
We refer to a purported letter issued by the Rivers State Accord Party, dated December 3, 2018 and signed by one David Ashipa Sunday (JP) as Secretary, Accord Party, Rivers State, in which the Chairman Precious Baridoo was congratulated for emerging the Rivers State Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council IPAC – a position he can only contest as the state chairman of a political party.
We are at a loss to fathom how a man who claims to have resigned as Accord Party Chairman to contest the October 4, governorship primaries, can in November present himself as the same Accord Party Chairman who contested the IPAC election and emerged as Chairman.
Did he turn back the hands of time? Can this therefore not be described as a case of grand forgery and willful impersonation by Mr. Precious Baridoo, who obviously must have been contracted by some dubious forces to carry out this nefarious act?
Without interfering with the matter already before the Court, we state unequivocally that following from our own investigations, for which we have concrete documentary evidence, that Mr. Precious Baridoo has no locus whatsoever to go to court over an election he did not contest.
His action, in our opinion is driven by a mischievous and a devious intent to carry out the dubious machinations of those who are afraid of the growing strength and pedigree of Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and the Accord Party as we approach the 2019 general elections.
Furthermore, the Constitution of the Accord Party provides internal mechanism for conflict resolution which Precious Baridoo did not exhaust before running to court.
Our position on this matter is very clear. Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs is the substantive and legitimate Rivers State Governorship candidate of the Accord party for the 2019 general elections. His name has been duly submitted to INEC by the National Working Committee of the party and the position of the law is very clear on this matter. Precious Baridoo has never been the Rivers State Accord party governorship candidate. This is our stand.
Long Live Accord Party
God Bless Rivers State
