Bayelsa governorship election: ‘Withdraw amended candidates’ list, Sylva writes INEC
Court disqualified candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa Governorship election, Timipre Sylva has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw its recently released amended list of candidates eligible to contest the November 11, 2023 poll in the state.
This is also as the Court of Appeal has fixed Friday, October 27 to hear the suit filed by the former Bayelsa State Governor, Sylva challenging his disqualification by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The amended list excluded the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources following his disqualification by the judgment of the Federal High Court on grounds of eligibility having already served twice as the Bayelsa State governor.
Sylva, through his lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, said in a letter to INEC claimed that the commission’s decision to exclude his name from the list was prejudicial, as he had already appealed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which disqualified him from the race.
The letter argued that it was wrong for INEC to release the amended list while the appeal was still pending, as it could prejudice the outcome of the case, while also pointing out that the parties to the suit in which Sylva was disqualified were not candidates in the election and, therefore, had nothing to lose.
Sylva’s counsel urged INEC to reconsider its decision and to wait for the outcome of the appeal before taking any further action.
“We know that the Commission has always been consistent in a matter like this, to wait until the entire appellate process and proceedings are completed, one way or the other,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has scheduled a hearing for Friday (October 27, 2023) to hear the appeal filed by Sylva, who is asking the appellant court to vacate the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which disqualified him from the election on the grounds that he was not validly nominated by the APC.
Sylva and the APC are also appealing the judgment, arguing that the High Court erred in law by delving into the internal affairs of the party.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court, Abuja, Monday, October 9, disqualified the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, from contesting the November 11 election in Bayelsa State.
One Demesuoyefa Kolomo, a member of the APC, had prayed the court to order INEC to delete Sylva’s name from the list of candidates contesting the governorship poll in Bayelsa on November 11.
In his ruling, Justice Donatus Okorowo, presiding judge, held that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of the state, would breach the 1999 constitution if allowed to contest again.
The judge held that Sylva was not qualified to run in the forthcoming poll because if he wins and is sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.
