By Ayo Yusuf
Any hope the All Progressives Congress (APC), may have had about winning the Bayelsa State governorship poll has been dashed as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), excluded the name of its candidate, Timipre Sylva, from the final list of candidates ahead of the November 11 election.
The amended list which was uploaded on the commission’s website on Tuesday was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony with Sylva’s name excluded.
TheNewDiplomat gathered that the column for the names of the APC candidate and his running mate, Joshua Maciver, was left blank with “court order” put under the heading of remarks.
According to Mrs. Oriaran-Anthony, the action of the commission was in obedience to court orders served on the commission.
She recalled that the commission published the final list of candidates for the 2023 Bayelsa State Governorship Election on June 9 in accordance with the provision of Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Election, but after the publication, INEC was served with a court order in respect of the candidate of the APC for the poll.
“By virtue of the provision of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Commission is bound to enforce the orders of the court on the nomination of candidates by political parties in the state,” Oriaran-Anthony said.
“The Amended list of candidates in respect of the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election is hereby amended pursuant to the orders of court served on the commission.”
It would be recalled that on October 10, the Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified Mr. Sylva from participating in the state governorship election.
Justice Donatus Okorowo ruled that former governor Sylva, having been sworn in twice and served five years as governor of the state, would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.
The judge also declared that Mr. Sylva was 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 of the state.
But the APC in Bayelsa State said it will appeal the judgment disqualifying Timipre Sylva, its candidate in the forthcoming governorship election.
The Director of Media and Publicity for the APC Bayelsa Governorship Campaign Council, Perry Tukuwei, argued that the suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in breach of the Electoral Act.
