BAYELSA: Court didn’t stop APC but candidates – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday kept Nigerian guessing on the fate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s governorship election, David Lyon, after declining comments on whether or not he would participate in the poll.

The Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa had on Thursday nullified the APC governorship primaries held in September and ruled that none of the aspirants should take part in the election.

READ ALSO: BAYELSA: We’ve now secured a stay of execution of order barring our guber candidate —APC Chieftain

However, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, told journalists in Abuja later on Thursday that an Appeal Court had granted the party a stay of execution on the matter and would go ahead and feature Lyon as its governorship candidate on Saturday.

The INEC Spokesman, Festus Okoye, who reacted to the development on Friday, said the “court ruling did not say APC (as a party) should not participate in the election.”

However, he did not say if Lyon has been cleared to represent the APC in the election.

He said: “What the court said was that the two candidates are not eligible. But we don’t have candidates on the ballot papers. We only have logos of parties and those are what will be there.”

“APC will participate in the election in Bayelsa State.”

 

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