Candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC and former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva still has many rivers to cross as he, and his deputy, Joshua MacIver are not among the candidates listed by Independent National Electoral Commission INEC for the governorship election slated for November 11 in Bayelsa state.
A Federal High Court had knocked out Sylva, the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from the race on the grounds that he took the oath of office twice.
Justice Donatus Okorowo who delivered the judgement held that Sylva ruled for 5 years as governor and if allowed to contest, it would be a breach of the constitution because he would spend more than eight years in office if sworn in as governor of the state.
But days after,Sylva approached the Court of Appeal to upturn the judgement of the lower court.
Current matters reports that the non – inclusion of the former governor’s name is already causing tension and apprehension in some parts of Bayelsa State regarded as the stronghold of the APC.
It would be recalled that the APC was disallowed from governing the state after its candidate, David Lyon won the November 2019 governorship election
Lyon was sacked by a five – member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Mary Odili in February 2020 ,a day to his swearing -in as governor of Bayelsa state on the grounds that his deputy,Biobarakuma Degi – Eremienyo presented false information to INEC in aid of his qualification for the governorship election in the state.
However , undeterred by his sack Lyon once again sought to clinch the APC ticket but his political godfather,Sylva,took the party’s nomination for himself.
The amended list uploaded on the commission’s website on Tuesday and signed by the Secretary to the Commission,Rose Oriaran – Anthony left the space for Sylva and his running mate blank with terse statement ” Court Order”
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