Court Ruling Deals Blow To Timipre Sylva’s Governorship Prospects In Bayelsa

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has rejected the requests by the APC and Sylva for a halt in enforcing the judgment that invalidated their candidacy…CONTINUE READING

Sylva had filed an appeal and a request for a stay of execution following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that prohibited him from running as the APC candidate due to having served two terms as governor.

In a unanimous decision by a panel of three justices, Justice William Daudu dismissed the requests, deeming them lacking in merit.

It is worth noting that the high court had ruled that Sylva was ineligible to participate in the November election because his victory and subsequent swearing-in would result in more than eight years in office as governor of the state.

The court cited the precedent of Marwa vs. Nyako at the Supreme Court, which established that the country’s constitution specifies that no one can be elected as governor more than twice. The parties involved in the case also acknowledged that Sylva had been elected into office twice.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Marwa vs. Nyako was referenced, emphasizing that the constitution’s provisions cannot be expanded or altered. Allowing Sylva to run in the next election would set a precedent where a person could contest an unlimited number of times.

The lawsuit, registered under the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023, was initiated on June 13, 2023, by Deme Kolomo, an APC member.

As a result of the court’s decision, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) excluded Sylva’s name and that of his running mate, Joshua Maciver, from the list of candidates for the November 11 election.

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