The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, disqualified the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva.
A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Deme Kolomo filed the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 on June 13, 2023 challenging Sylva’s qualification.
Justice Donatus Okorowo, in a judgement, ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in two times, and ruled for five years as governor of Bayelsa state, would breach the 1999 constitution (as amended), if allowed to contest again.
The judge further held that Sylva is 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, a development that would be against the provisions of Nigerian constitution.
Okorowo, who cited a decided case of the Supreme Court, Marwa vs Nyako, noted that the constitution disallowed anybody from being voted more than two times as governor.
He further held that while the parties to the suit had agreed that Sylva was voted into office two times, adding that if Sylva is allowed to contest the next election, he would have contested more than the stipulated time.
