Bayelsa Guber Election: Court disqualifies Sylva

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has disqualified the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming election in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva.

Justice Donatus Okorowo who made the pronouncement dismissed the preliminary objections on the ground that they had no bearing with the main suit.

He made it clear that the suit was not about documents submitted to INEC by Chief Slyva, but that the former Governor could not be constitutionally elected for another 4 years having earlier served as governor for 5 years.

According to him, if Sylva wins and is sworn in, he would be spending more than 8 years in office as governor of Bayelsa State.

On the main suit itself, the court relying on Marwa v. Nyako, held that a person cannot be voted for as a governor more than 2 times and that the provisions of the Constitution cannot be wishfully expanded.

The court then granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, Dennis Kolomo.