Afrigather Only one month earlier than the Bayelsa State gubernatorial election, the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja has dominated to disqualify former governor Timipre Sylva from the race. Mr. Timipre Sylva, who beforehand served because the Minister of State for Petroleum Assets, had secured the Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress governorship nomination again in April.
He garnered a complete of 52,061 votes, rising victorious over 5 different contenders, particularly Joshua Machiver, Festus Danumiebi, Maureen Etebu, David Lyon, and Isikima Johnson.
Nigeria’s electoral fee, INEC, had scheduled the state governorship election for November 11. However, on Monday, a Federal Excessive Courtroom choose in Abuja, Donaltus Okorowo, declared that Mr. Sylva was ineligible to run for the Bayelsa State governorship place.
In a ruling pertaining to a lawsuit introduced by an APC member, Demesuoyefa Kolomo, the choose decided that Mr. Sylva, having been sworn in as governor twice and ruled Bayelsa for 5 years, would contravene the 1999 structure if permitted to take part within the upcoming election.
What it is best to find out about Timipre Sylva
Mr. Sylva beforehand served because the governor of Bayelsa State from 2007 to 2011 below the banner of the Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP). Subsequently, he switched his allegiance to the APC and assumed a ministerial function in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. In March, he relinquished his ministerial place to vie for the APC’s major election.
Citing a Supreme Courtroom ruling within the Marwa vs. Nyako case, Choose Okorowo clarified that the framers of Nigeria’s structure stipulated that nobody ought to be eligible to run for the place of governor greater than twice. The choose identified that each one events concerned within the lawsuit acknowledged that Mr. Sylva had held the governorship workplace on two events.
Mr. Sylva and his get together retain the choice to enchantment this resolution to the Supreme Courtroom. Nonetheless, if the Supreme Courtroom in the end guidelines towards Mr. Sylva after the deadline for candidate substitutions has handed, the get together faces a major danger of being left and not using a candidate for the election.
This state of affairs might probably echo the misfortune the get together encountered within the earlier gubernatorial election cycle within the state when the Supreme Courtroom nullified the victory of its candidate, David Lyon, on the eve of his inauguration.
Timipre Sylva’s background story
In a case introduced by an APC member, Mr. Kolomo, the Federal Excessive Courtroom examined Mr. Sylva’s eligibility to contest the Bayelsa State governorship election. Mr. Kolomo sought the court docket’s interpretation relating to Mr. Sylva’s earlier phrases as governor and whether or not he might run for one more time period in accordance with the structure.
Mr. Sylva had beforehand served as governor from April 14, 2007, to January 27, 2012, along with his first time period interrupted by a court docket nullification. The case questioned whether or not he might legally run for the upcoming election.
The plaintiff requested a declaration that Mr. Sylva was not certified to run for governor based mostly on the 1999 Structure and requested the court docket to direct INEC to take away his title from the record of candidates.
This authorized problem has important implications for the upcoming election, probably impacting the possibilities of different candidates, notably Governor Douye Diri of the PDP, if Mr. Sylva’s disqualification is upheld.
