Senator Seriake Dickson has questioned the legal basis of the fair hearing argument in the case involving the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), arguing that the trial court should have first determined whether it still had jurisdiction after delivering its earlier judgment.
Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday, June 28, 2026, the former Bayelsa State governor said invoking the constitutional right to fair hearing in the case was “misplaced” and “an attempt to be clever by half.”
Dickson argued that once a court has delivered final judgment, it becomes functus officio and cannot reopen the substantive merits of the case. He maintained that the court should have first determined whether it retained jurisdiction before considering any application.
He further contended that parties claiming their rights were affected by the judgment should have sought leave to appeal at the Court of Appeal rather than return to the trial court. According to him, the applicants bypassed that process because they could not establish the required legal standing.
“Even if fair hearing was truly their concern, why then did the court reopen substantive issues in a matter over which it had already become functus officio?” Dickson asked, expressing confidence that the appellate courts would ultimately clarify the jurisdictional issues.
