Court sacks Timipre Sylva as APC governorship candidate in Bayelsa

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, disqualified Chief Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State.

Justice Donatus Okorowo who sacked the former Minister of State for Petroleum, ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of Bayelsa, would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.

Ruling on the suit suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 filed on June 13, 2023 by a chieftain of the APC in the state, Deme Kolomo, Okorowo declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the November poll because if he wins and is sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.

READ ALSO:Timipre Sylva resigns ministerial post to contest APC guber primary

The judge who cited the case of Marwa vs Nyako at the Supreme Court, noted that the drafters of the Nigerian Constitution stated that nobody should be voted for as governor more than twice and that the parties to the suit agreed that Sylva was voted into office two times.

The APC governorship primary which was conducted on April 14, saw Sylva emerging victorious after securing secure 52,061 to defeat five other contestants including former militant leader, Joshua Machiver who got 2,078, Festus Danumiebi, 557, Maureen Etebu, 1,277, David Lyon, 1,584, and Isikima Johnson, 584 votes.

The emergence of Sylva as the APC gubernatorial candidate for Bayelsa in the April 14 primaries conducted by the party had caused ripples and disaffection as aggrieved aspirants, notably the APC governorship candidate in 2019, Lyon and Daumiebi, who both rejected the outcome of the election, claiming the party primary was pre-determined to favour Sylva.

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