INEC Re-Enlists Sylva As APC governorship Candidate In Bayelsa

• On October 10, the Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified Sylva from participating in the state governorship election.
• Recall that the Abuja court of appeal has also overturned the disqualification of Timipre Sylva, former petroleum minister, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Bayelsa state governor.

The names of former petroleum minister and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Timipre Sylva and his running mate, Joshua Maciver, have been reinstated as candidates for the governorship elections in Bayelsa state ahead of the next Saturday’s governorship elections, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Commission made this declaration in a statement that it made public last night.

The Federal High Court of Abuja’s Justice Donatus Okorowo’s previous verdict was reversed by the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which INEC claims compelled this decision to be taken. The nomination of Sylva had already been ruled invalid by Justice Okorowo.

In a recent ruling, a three-member panel of the appellate court determined that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the jurisdiction to hear and rule on the case filed by Demesuoyefa Kolomo. Kolomo, who described himself as a registered voter and a member of the APC, had challenged Sylva’s nomination.

However, the court concluded that Kolomo lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to challenge Sylva’s nomination as the APC candidate since he had not participated as an aspirant in the APC’s governorship primary.

With this development, a total of 16 political parties will be fielding candidates in the upcoming off-season election in the South-South state on Saturday.