By Ayo Yusuf
Unfazed by Monday’s judgment by a Federal High Court in Abuja, disqualifying his candidature in the November 11 election, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State and former governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, has officially flagged off his campaigns ahead of the polls.
Chief Sylva promised to bring a new tide of human capital development, infrastructure, gas development, jobs creation and agriculture to the state.
The APC candidate who began his campaign at Agbere, before taking it to Ebedebiri Community and Sagbama Local Government Council headquarters, all in Sagbama Council Area, said he chose to kick start his state-wide campaigns in Agbere Community because of the special affinity he shares with the area.
He promised to complete the abandoned shore protection project in the community and bring more development to the area to ensure that they enjoy the dividends of democracy and not be spectators to development.
The former governor who was flanked by his wife Mrs. Alayingi, his running mate Joshua Maciver and wife, state party chairman Dr Dennis Otiotio, and other big wigs of the party, joked about his ouster from office some years ago saying that he was taken away to be incubated and is now back, more matured, experienced, bigger and better to face the tasks of turning around the fortunes of the state for better.
He pointed out that his administration will concentrate on human capital development, infrastructure, job creation, power, agriculture and security.
His words: “I consider myself an Agbere son and that is why I decided to begin my campaigns in the whole state in Agbere. A lot of things I have done for Agbere, the shore protection that has been abandoned will be completed.
“We don’t want you to be spectators to development, we want to bring development to you. My incoming government is about human capacity development. When I look around I see virile young men and women, people who need work, empowerment and development and government is about the people and is for the people.
“We have done it before, we are experienced, we know what to do, I was here before as governor, I was taken away and incubated and matured and now I am back, bigger and better.
“November 11 is not far, you must make up your mind to vote for the APC, Agbere and Constituency 3 must be completely APC because a new tide of infrastructural development is coming into Bayelsa State. We will connect this road to Omoku, there will be industries, gas development, and jobs. We will develop agriculture, we have the sea and agricultural lands and we will give you security.
“If you vote for the APC, you are voting for the good times, empowerment and a better future for yourselves and you are voting out this bad government of Douye Diri and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.”
Some defectors from the PDP and other parties including a former PDP Ward chairman were received into the party during the flag off.
It would be recalled that a federal high court in Abuja disqualified Timipre Sylva from contesting the November 11 election in Bayelsa state.
Delivering judgment on Monday, 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.
Citing Marwa Vs Nyako, the judge stated that the supreme court had ruled that nobody can expand the constitution or its scope.
He added that if Sylva was allowed to contest the next election, it meant a person could contest as many times as he wanted.
Demesuoyefa Kolomo, a member of the APC, had asked the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete Sylva’s name from the list of candidates contesting the election.
The plaintiff averred that by the provisions of section 182(1)\(b) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), Sylva is not qualified to contest the election on APC’s platform or any other political party’s platform because he was elected in April 2007 and May 2008.
But in his affidavit, Sylva had said he was elected once as the state’s governor, insisting that there was no election in 2007.
While referencing a court of appeal judgment in April 2008 that nullified the 2007 election, the former minister maintained that he is within his constitutional and legal rights to contest the forthcoming election in Bayelsa.
Sylva was minister of state for petroleum resources from 2019 to 2023 and had vowed to appeal the judgement.
